Still no murder charge for Miguel Louw’s ‘kidnapper’

17 October 2018 - 10:56 By Jeff Wicks
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Mohammed Ebrahim - the man accused of abducting Sydenham schoolboy Miguel Louw - wore a wry grin as he heard state prosecutor Calvin Govender ask for more time to investigate the boy’s disappearance and murder.

The clean-shaven 43-year-old butcher cut a confident figure in a bright purple shirt‚ standing upright before Magistrate Mahomed Motala on Wednesday.

“This matter is still under investigation and there are still some witness statements outstanding‚” Govender told the court.

On being questioned on the addition of a murder charge by Motala‚ Govender said their case was not yet at that stage.

Louw’s grandmother Arlene broke down following Ebrahim’s appearance‚ screaming in the public gallery.

The child was last seen with Ebrahim on July 17.

Ebrahim‚ who lived in a Wendy house on his father’s property‚ was arrested three days after Miguel was last seen. The body was found less than 100m from his house.

In his bid for bail‚ which was ultimately successful‚ prosecutor Calvin Govender painted Ebrahim as a drifter who had been banished to the shed after a family fall-out in 2016.

The court heard how Ebrahim slept in this shed on a foam mattress‚ plying his trade as a butcher at whatever place would take him.

He entered Miguel’s life as an acquaintance of his mother Raylene. The two worked at the same butchery.

He had lived with Louw and his mother for two weeks before the two had an altercation.

When he was detained‚ he was found in possession of Miguel’s original birth certificate‚ as well as Raylene’s identity document.

CCTV footage showed Miguel at a KFC with Ebrahim on the day of his disappearance.

Ebrahim will return to court on December 5.

Mohammed Ebrahim, the man accused of the abduction of Miguel Louw took cover on Wednesday, October 17 2018, as community members were waiting for him outside court. Louw’s father even went inside the building to look for Ebrahim.

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