NPA Spokesperson, Natasha Ramkisson Kara
A large police and army presence was on high alert outside the Verulam Magistrate’s Court on Friday, 30 July, where ten men facing various charges in relation to the recent violent unrest in Phoenix where over 20 people were killed, appeared in court for bail consideration.
The state opposed bail on all suspects. They remain in custody at the Durban Central Police cells. The men who made their second court appearance face charges of murder, attempted murder, possession of stolen property, malicious injury to property, possession of a prohibited firearm, unlawful possession of ammunition among other serious charges. The accused were split up and appeared before the court separately. Church organisations, members of the ANC and EFF came to court in their numbers, held placards denouncing racism and chanted struggle songs throughout the court proceedings. Appearing before the court, ahead of the seven other accused, Dylan Govender, 29, was charged with one count of murder and one of attempted murder, Ned Govender, 30, was charged with one count of murder and Jeetendra Jaikissoon, 39, was charged with one count of murder. They were remanded in custody at the Durban Central Police cells until Tuesday, 3 August for a formal bail application.
National Prosecuting Authority Provincial Spokesperson, Natasha Ramkisson Kara, said: “The seven other accused who appeared later in the day were Justin Hira, 32, who was charged with possession of a prohibited firearm and possession of drugs, Seelan Chetty, 24, who was charged three counts of attempted murder and malicious injury to property, Owen Chinnasamy, 23, is facing charges of three counts of attempted murder and malicious injury to property. Vernon Philip Govender, 21, was charged with possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition. They were remanded in custody until Wednesday, 4 August, for a formal bail application.” “Brenton Callen Shunmogam, 25, is charged with possession of unlicensed ammunition and possession of a dangerous weapon, Mirandin Kaylyn Reddy, 26, is charged with possession of unlicensed ammunition, possession of suspected stolen goods and contravention of the PSIRA (Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority) Act. They were remanded in custody until Thursday, 5 August, for formal bail application,” said Kara. Alfonzo Naidoo, 23, is charged with possession of suspected stolen goods. He was previously on the first appearance and was granted bail of R2 000. His matter was adjourned to 25 August for further investigation.
Speaking to the Phoenix Tabloid outside the court, MEC for Education, Kwazi Mshengu, who was in court in the capacity of Provincial Executive Committee member of the ANC, said: “We are here today to call for justice for the families who lost loved ones in Phoenix, but also, to communicate a clear message that the senseless killings by a small group of vigilantes of Indian origin does not define the character and ethos of the people of Indian origin. We must work to isolate this minority group of criminals. I’m happy that we are standing together, side-by-side, with compatriots of Indian origin to say, let the law take its course, let’s stand for justice and let’s isolate all criminal elements.” A Phoenix resident who only identified himself as ‘Zain’ told the Phoenix Tabloid that he was at court to support his close friends who were arrested. He said people have the wrong perception of what happened. “We are not racist in Phoenix – there is no division between Indians and Black people. We are with Black people in Phoenix and live around Black people and never had any issues over the years. Our children go to the same schools, eat and play together. People from outside of Phoenix must not be misled,” said Zain. Arch Bishop, Prof T B Ngcobo, from African Freedom Revolution, a church organisation, said: “We cannot let this carry on for any longer. The Blacks and Indians have been living in harmony for years and we cannot allow more bloodshed in our communities. As leaders with influence, we must engage with our communities to find ways to move forward from this. We want to have peace and stability in our communities. We need to work together.”
