Mlambos Express murder case postponed

The trial of a Somali man accused of murdering a member of ace Zimbabwean Rhumba outfit Mlambos Express Band has been postponed to March at the Pretoria magistrates court.

The trial entered day 3 on Friday after two days of state witnesses presenting their evidence against the accused. At the end of day three nine witnesses had given extremely damning evidence against the accused much of which the accused's defence council could not dispute.

Day three was meant to see the accused take the stand to put across his defence against the witnesses' evidence. However the accused speaking through his defence council asked to be excused from standing in the box as he was not feeling well down with a bout of flue.

Your honour we would like to ask for a postponement of the hearing as our client is not feeling well today and not in a condition for him to speak well and might jeopardise his defence" pleaded the council.

The magistrate allowed the postponement in anger asking how the accused came to court in the first place when he was not feeling well and how he allowed court to proceed until the moment when he had to speak. The case was postponed to the 19th of March a date that was agreed to be convenient with the defence council.

The case against the accused is that on the 26th of May 2013 he brutally murder Mlambosi Express Band lead singer Thuthani "Superman" Ndlovu and another person in cold blood shooting at a Diepsloot shopping centre. The accused who runs a shop in the area was infuriated by the group which was playing its music in promotion in front of his shop. In his defence the accused claims that the band members were trying to rob his shop when he shot at the member. The accused claims to be having witnesses he can bring to court substantiate his claim.

Speaking after the court the manager of the band Mr Thulani Ndlovu expressed confidence that the accused will be found guilty of first degree murder and will be sentenced to a long custodial sentence in the range of two life sentences. He urged the groups followers to come in large numbers on the 19th of March to show their solidarity with the band and Ndlovu's Family.