Man accused of killing schoolgirl Sadia Sukhraj appears in court

The man charged with the murder of Shallcross schoolgirl Sadia Sukhraj shuffled down the hallway in shackles after a brief appearance in the Durban Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday.

Sibonelo Mkhize‚ 39‚ was arrested in May in the days that followed the nine-year-old girl’s bloody slaying.

The court heard that the state was still awaiting the findings of DNA evidence collected from the crime scene and sent to the police laboratory for testing.

From whose gun the fatal bullet was fired remains veiled in mystery.

The girl had been with her father‚ Shailendra Sukhraj‚ on their way to school when he was pulled from the car while in the driveway of her grandfather's home in Shallcross by three men‚ who then sped off with Sadia‚ her father in pursuit.

The hijackers' escape was cut short when they collided with a truck and lost control of the car‚ which spun and came to rest in a neighbourhood park. Mkhize was arrested. One of the men fled the scene‚ while a third accomplice died near the stolen car.

Mkhize faces two charges of murder‚ one for the girl and one in relation to the death of his alleged accomplice.

He will appear in court again on November 8.