Durban — SANDF Staff Sergeant Sandile Myisa was found guilty of murder after he shot and killed Eugene Adams, 44, on December 15, 2018, in Perrywinkle Road on the Bluff.
Myisa pleaded not guilty in court and delayed the matter several times before the trial began.
Adams’s son, Donnel Adams, told the court that he was returning from a shopping centre with his friend when a group of boys approached them. Donnel said they took his cellphone out of his hand and also stabbed his friend in the head with a piece of broken bottle.
Donnel testified that they went home and informed their parents, who took them to the Brighton Beach police station. He claimed that the police declined to open a case, saying the attack was gang-related. The family then went to the home of Myisa, situated near theirs, to inform him that his son knew who took the phone and if it could be returned.
According to Donnel, Myisa came outside to see what was happening and, after a brief discussion, went back inside the house. The boys who had taken his phone arrived and there was an argument. Myisa returned and allegedly shot Adams in front of his wife and children, the court heard.
Magistrate Ncumisa Gcolotela handed down her judgment on Wednesday in the Durban Regional Court.
Myisa told the court in his testimony that he had shot Adams in self-defence after Adams rushed at him with a knife. This could not be proved in court and witnesses testified that Adams was not armed with any weapon.
Gcolotela said Myisa’s testimony before court and that of his witness were riddled with improbabilities and inconsistencies. Myisa's bail was extended until the end of October when he is to appear for sentencing.
Daily News