Durban — In August a man -- alleged to have been part of an 8-strong armed group who allegedly killed a man accused of being a police spy -- was to present the court with evidence to authenticate documents he submitted in his defence in the murder trial against him.
Sbongiseni Njabulo “Nkanyamba” Khoza is alleged to have shot and killed Sfiso Petros Zungu, a fellow KwaMashu Hostel resident in 2021, alleging that he was a police spy.
Evidence heard in the trial is that on the day of the alleged murder, Zungu was with his two brothers at a meeting to discuss and dispel rumours that he was a police spy.
Zungu had called this meeting after hearing that someone (the accused) was looking for him regarding the matter.
Zungu and his brothers, Mike and Zibuse, arrived first at the meeting place. When Khoza arrived with a group of armed men he allegedly said that Zungu was the reason they were suffering as he was a police spy.
The group assaulted the brothers and Mike managed to escape. However, his two brothers were taken.
Zibuse’s evidence was that they were led to where they were going to be killed. He was behind his brother but escaped after the first gunshot went off.
Before the shooting, Zibuse had made romantic advances to a woman at the hostel and later ceased. This woman was Khoza’s girlfriend.
Khoza submitted medical documents to the court stating that he had fractured his hand a year before the shooting and could therefore not have been able to use a firearm.
He pleaded not guilty, alleging that State witnesses must have seen him at his first appearance in the District Court and that was how they came to recognise and point him out at the identity parade.
Khoza also preferred an alibi stating that he was in uMlazi at the time where he was staying with his girlfriend.
He submitted a medical document claiming to be from King Edward VIII Hospital, but the State did not accept the authenticity of these documents.
On Wednesday, prosecutor Kaystree Ramsamujh had anticipated calling a witness, a doctor, to testify on Khoza’s injury.
However, this could not happen with Khoza’s medical documents not being authenticated.
The matter was adjourned as magistrate Ravi Pillay said that the defence could not close its case without authentication of these medical documents.
Khoza told the court that his girlfriend could assist with this and he would need two weeks.
The case was adjourned to August.
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