Durban — Three men accused of murdering ANC KwaNdengezi branch leader Thulani Nxumalo in September 2018 will remain behind bars until January.
One of the accused, Nkosiyanda Ndlovu, delayed proceedings several times because of legal representation.
In the Durban High Court on Thursday, Judge Graham Lopes adjourned the case to January 31 and told the court that a Legal Aid office in Pietermaritzburg, would have to give the second suspect, Nkosiyanda Ndlovu, an experienced lawyer.
Nxumalo was shot after attending an ANC meeting.
On Monday, the trial was supposed to resume. However, Ndlovu’s lawyer withdrew.
Lopes said Legal Aid would have to write to the court before January 31 to say that they had met with Ndlovu, consulted him and ensured he knows that the matter has sat down in court and has gone through all the court transcripts, and acknowledges the dates of the trial, which is to resume from April 11, 2023.
Lopes added that it was imperative that the case did not delay any further because the two other accused, Felokwakhe Ndlovu, who is a community leader at KwaNdengezi and Nkosinathi Mbambo, have been in custody at the Department of Correctional Services Westville since 2018.
Felokwakhe is also an accused in another case with two high-ranking police officers for allegedly trying to bribe them with R120 000 to fudge evidence in this murder case.
Felokwakhe asked the court if it would be crucial for all the accused to come to court on January 31 when Nkosiyanda and his representative appear.
Lopes said it was standard procedure so that he could see that ‘’everything has been properly done’’
Daily News