The Durban High Court has reserved judgment in the murder trial linked to the July 2021 unrest. The accused brothers, Dylan and Ned Govender are facing charges of murder and attempted murder in connection with the killing of Mondli Majola.
It is alleged that the brothers killed Majola in Phoenix during the July 2021 unrest. Phoenix became a hotspot for racially motivated attacks.
Legal representatives of the accused and the state presented their closing arguments in court on Friday.
During the previous court appearance, state prosecutor Bonginkosi Mbokazi presented video footage allegedly captured when the incident took place.
Advocate Mbokazi told the court that the accused are seen in the video footage pointing to the direction where the deceased was hiding, saying this led the crowd to follow their orders.
Mbokazi also added that the absence of photos showing that the deceased died from shooting wounds doesn’t exonerate the accused in the murder.
However, the legal representative of the accused, Carl Van Der Merwe argued that the footage which was presented in court proves that the accused were not involved in the killing incident.
In the previous evidence, the accused testified that they were acting in self-defence. The brothers have pleaded not guilty to the charges. Judgment will be delivered on the 19th of May.
A number of witnesses including video footage were presented to the court. The state wants the Govender brothers to be charged for acting in common purpose in committing the crime.
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