Rhodes Park suspects sold victim's phone within hour of killing‚ court told

17 November 2016 - 14:21 By Lindile Sifile
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Murder accused Thabo Nkala, Edmor Ndlovu and Mduduzi Mathibela during their appearance at the South Gauteng High Court for the murder of Zukisa Kela and his friend Sizwe Tyele.
Murder accused Thabo Nkala, Edmor Ndlovu and Mduduzi Mathibela during their appearance at the South Gauteng High Court for the murder of Zukisa Kela and his friend Sizwe Tyele.
Image: Gallo Images / Sowetan / Veli Nhlapo

The men implicated in the Rhodes Park double murder and gang rape allegedly sold one of their victim's cellphone for R320 within one-hour after committing the crime.

This was revealed by shop owner Shohen Rana who testified at Palm Ridge Court on Thursday morning.

Rana‚ a Bangladesh-national‚ was a state witness in the trial of Thabo Nkala‚ Admore Ndlovu and Mduduzi Mathibela who are accused of being part of the gang of men that killed Sizwe Tyeke‚ his friend Zukisa Kela. They are also accused of raping the men's female partners.

The incident happened on October 17‚ 2015 at Rhodes Park in Kensington‚ Johannesburg.

In CCTV footage shown in court this week‚ eight suspects can be seen running out of the park at around 7.05pm that evening. They were caught by a camera mounted 150 metres from the park.

Rana‚ said three men arrived at his shop in Yeoville at around 7.45pm and offered to sell him a Nokia Lumia cellphone‚ a gun and a gold ring allegedly taken from their victim. He declined the gun and the ring.

“They said it was R300 but one of them wanted the price to be increased by R20. They took the R320 and left‚” Rana said. He said he knew one of them men.

He also testified that he bypassed the phone's password and resold it to another customer.

The shop-owner said he saw one of the suspects days later when police brought him to his shop to identify who he had sold the cellphone to.

Comment Malinga‚ who shared a flat with Ndlovu in Yeoville said he knew all the three of the accused.

Malinga said Ndlovu denied knowledge of the Rhodes Park incident when he saw a headline on a television news-clip in November 2015. Malinga also said that Mathibela had given him a toy-gun for safe-keeping days later.

The trial continues.

- TMG Digital/SowetanLIVE

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