KFC and mother's ID used to lure Miguel Louw to his death, says state

Sydenham schoolboy Miguel Louw was lured by the promise of KFC and his mother's ID book by the man accused of killing him.

This was the version put forward by state prosecutor, advocate Kelvin Singh, during his closing arguments in the murder trial of Mohammed Vahed Ebrahim in the Durban high court on Thursday.

Miguel's decomposing body was discovered in September 2018 after he was last seen, on video footage, leaving a KFC restaurant near his house with Ebrahim.

In footage from the store, Ebrahim is seen waving what appears to be a green bar-coded identity document which the state argued belonged to Miguel's mother Raylene because during his arrest Raylene's ID was found in his possession.

‘This (waving the ID) was a deliberate attempt to lure the deceased into the company of Mr Vahed,” said Singh.

After exiting the store, the two are seen crossing the street and subsequently disappear.

During his bail application, Ebrahim told the court that he took Miguel to the KFC to buy him food because there was no food for him at home. He said that after exiting the shop they crossed the street and he got into a taxi, leaving Miguel.

“The act of holding the KFC (while crossing the street) was a further attempt to distract the deceased and lure him into the taxi,” said Singh.

Singh also added that there was no need to cross the street with Miguel because his house was on the same side of the street as the KFC.

According to evidence, Ebrahim entered Miguel’s life as an acquaintance of the boy's mother, Raylene. The two worked at the same butchery. The court heard that Ebrahim was often at their house, sometimes spending the night.

The court also heard that Ebrahim was fond of the Louw children and would on occasion take the family out.

In addition to the murder charge, Ebrahim also faces a kidnapping charge and a theft charge relating to being found in possession of Raylene’s ID and her two children's birth certificates.

The matter will continue on Friday when defence advocate Jay Naidoo will present his closing arguments.