One of the men accused of murdering four Pakistanis in the Cape made an announcement that caught his lawyer off-guard.
|||Cape Town - One of the men accused of murdering four Pakistani men at a bakery distribution point, run from a house in Mitchells Plain, made an unexpected announcement in court that caught his lawyer off-guard.
On Thursday, self-confessed 26s prison gang member Mogamat Nasief de Villiers, 43, fidgeted about in the dock as he attempted to get Mitchells Plain magistrate David Lackey’s attention.
Lackey warned De Villiers that he could not have his “bread buttered on both sides”, suggesting that he either speak through his lawyer, advocate Omar Arend, or relieve him of his duties.
De Villiers said that what he had to say would “come as a surprise” to Arend, and said he wanted to address the court because he would be able to “put it more clearly”.
After a brief consultation, Arend read a few lines into the record on behalf of De Villiers, who said he had been at the scene on the day of the incident and that his co-accused, Yazeed Hendricks, “was never at the scene”.
De Villiers, Hendricks and Lehano Jasen, 28, are charged with murder, attempted murder, robbery and the possession of illegal firearms and live ammunition.
The three men were arrested in connection with the murders of Shafique Muhammad, 42, Adnan Haider, 23, Ghulam Baqar, 23, and Shahzad Ahmad, 39, who were gunned down by masked men on March 19.
De Villiers spoke shortly after Hendricks’ testimony. Hendricks is attempting to get bail. Hendricks also has a fragment of a bullet lodged in his thigh the State claims connects him to the crime scene. The State alleges Hendricks had shot himself in the pelvis during the attack.
Hendricks however, claims the bullet has been lodged in his thigh for 18 years, and that he had been shot through the shoulder and torso, and in his thigh in 1994.
The three are expected back in court on December 19 for the continuation of their bail applications.
natasha.prince@inl.co.za
Cape Argus