/ 22 April 2014

Krejcir charged with debt collector’s murder

Krejcir Charged With Debt Collector's Murder

Czech fugitive Radovan Krejcir and three co-accused face a charge of murder, the Alexander Magistrate's Court heard on Tuesday.

"I am adding another charge, of the murder of Phumlani Ncube, to the case," said prosecutor Lawrence Gcaba. "The murder charge is against accused one, five, six and seven." Krejcir, Siboniso Miya, police sergeant Nandi Nkosi and Nkanyiso Mafunda are accused of the murder of Ncube, a Zimbabwean debt collector who was killed in July last year. His body was found dumped in Heidelberg.

Krejcir, Miya, Zoduma Biyela, Jacob Nare, Mafunda, Nkosi and Owen Serero appeared before magistrate Reiner Boshoff on Tuesday on charges of conspiring to commit murder. They are all alleged to have been part of a group that conspired to kill police Colonel Nkosana Ximba and investigator Paul O'Sullivan. The two men had been investigating Krejcir.

The first four suspects, Miya, Biyela, Nare and Serero, were arrested on January 9. Nkosi and Krejcir were subsequently arrested and charged in March. Boshoff granted the state a request for a postponement for further investigation.

"The magnitude of this case, even at face value, indicates that this is a complex matter," Boshoff said. "I will grant the postponement so that the state finalises its investigation."

'Unreasonable'
Gcaba said fingerprint investigations from five vehicles and firearms involved in the case still needed to be completed. Another application would be brought against Mafunda at a later stage, he said.

Lawyers for each of the accused objected to the request for postponement. Annelene van der Heeven, for Krejcir, said the request was an abuse of the justice system.

"The request is unreasonable, especially in the absence of further information from the state," she said.

There was tight security around the accused.

Relatives of the accused filled the public gallery. Ncube's family sat quietly as they listened to the proceedings. His mother kept wiping tears from her eyes after Gcaba announced her son's name in court. Krejcir's wife, Katerina Krejcirova, arrived with their son Dennis and a lawyer. Earlier, before proceedings started, she handed a suit for Krejcir to wear to one of the heavily armed police officers at the court.

The case was postponed to June 13. 

Krejcir is also being investigated for a kidnapping and attempted murder case. The kidnapping case allegedly involves Krejcir, Sandton businessperson Desai Luphondo, and two members of the Hawks – warrant officers Samuel Modise Maropeng and George Jeff Nthoroane. They were arrested in November. 

In June, they allegedly kidnapped and assaulted a man whose brother, known only as "Doctor", disappeared with a 25kg shipment of tik he had been recruited to help smuggle through OR Tambo International Airport. They allegedly kept the man at Krejcir's Money Point business in Bedfordview, Johannesburg, for four days, and assaulted him.– Sapa