Angry threats were hurled at a 25-year-old Pietermaritzburg man charged with the murder of a “street child” as he was granted R10 000 bail.
|||Durban - Angry threats were hurled at a 25-year-old man charged with the murder of a “street child” as he was granted R10 000 bail at the Pietermaritzburg Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday.
Other alleged street children and family and friends of the victim shouted angrily at Altaaf Dawood as he was led out of court by police.
“You are a killer”, and “we will catch you” could be heard as court orderlies rushed Dawood out of court.
Dawood, a general worker at Big Sky Trading in the city, is charged with the murder of 17-year-old Fana Cebolethu Mkhize.
According to the State, Dawood was allegedly approached by a group of street children who were begging for food on Church Street at around 7pm on May 21.
Fana was part of the group. An altercation between Dawood and one of the street Âchildren allegedly ensued.
Dawood is alleged to have shot Fana in the leg and chest before fleeing.
Dawood was subsequently arrested.
He has denied the allegations, saying he intended pleading not guilty to the charges.
He also confirmed that he would be challenging CCTV video footage of the murder, which allegedly depicts him shooting the victim.
Dawood claimed he was at mosque with a number of other men, who were all dressed in similar prayer attire, and that his arrest was a case of mistaken identity.
The firearm used has not yet been recovered.
The State opposed bail, saying its case against Dawood was overwhelming, and the safety of the street children who witnessed the murder would be put at risk if he was released on bail.
However, Magistrate M ÂBoikhutso said she was not satisfied that Dawood was a flight risk, as he was a South African citizen with a stable family life and a wife and child to support.
Boikhutso also concluded that she was not convinced that the State’s case against Dawood was overwhelming, as the identity of the shooter was unclear on the video footage.
Dawood was granted bail with conditions: that he relocates to a relative’s home in Durban for the duration of the case; he reports to the police station daily; and not contact the State witnesses.
The case was adjourned until July 12.
Speaking outside court, Mkhize’s aunt, Busi Mkhize, told the Daily News that the family were “still in tears” over her nephew’s murder and were very upset that bail had been granted.
“This is very painful for us. Our children need to be protected and my nephew’s killer needs to be behind bars,” she said.
She confirmed that the church her family attends, The Apostolic Church Ministries, would be launching a campaign next week to “bring the street kids home” and provide them with food, shelter and the support they need to go back to their families.
Asked about the threats against Dawood, Mkhize said that while their family was disappointed with the outcome, no one would cause harm to Dawood.
“This is an emotional time. People are upset, but we would not threaten anyone,” she said.
Daily News