Judgment continues The trial of seven people accused of murder, attempted murder and drug use as part of the ‘Laughing Boys’ gang at Pollsmoor Court.
Brenton Geach / Gallo Images
- The lengthy sentence continues for the seven people charged with murder, attempted murder and drug offenses as part of the “Laughing Boys” gang.
- To date, there has been one murder conviction, and one murder acquittal against some of the defendants.
- The testimony of a brave witness cannot be accepted before the court because she was so shocked upon witnessing a murder that she smoked Mandrax to calm herself.
The pain of losing a loved one in a mass lynching was on display during the sentencing at Pollsmoor Circuit Court of seven people accused of murder, attempted murder and drug offenses in Hanover Park, Cape Town, on Monday.
The accused are said to be part of the “Loving Boys” gang.
The names of the witnesses were sealed for their safety, but the fear of retaliation did not prevent one of the witnesses from breaking out in her heart about the killing of a young father during an Islamic religious ceremony.
Acting Judge Raadia Wathen Falken said one of the witnesses treated the young gangsters with kindness and gave them food when they arrived to visit the victim.
And although the witness saw them shoot a young father who briefly came out of hiding to attend the party, she still felt sorry for the killer.
Read | Gang Wars Part 2: An old problem in Hanover Park, but with a younger face
Wathen-Falken said the witness looked directly at them in court, commenting on how much better they looked now that they were off the streets and away from drugs.
She gave her testimony about [the victim’s] “A gang was involved, and yet he was able to show some sympathy for the defendants,” Wathen-Falken said in an ice cage-like circuit court on the prison grounds.
“They didn’t have much choice,” Wathen-Falken said of the woman’s testimony about life to some in Hanover Park.
While she was passing judgment, Accused Number One, Mikel Davids, flexed his thin body in the seat in the accused’s separate holding area.
He defiantly pulled his hood over his head after a Department of Correction Services officer confiscated his blanket because he was using it to hide his face in court.
The judge found sufficient credible evidence to convict him of this shooting on March 30, 2019.
It also found him guilty of attempted murder for shooting a woman in the leg as she cowered under the refreshment table at the same meeting.
However, in the murder of Gertrude Jantjes, also in Hanover Park, the court did not obtain a clear witness.
In this case, no one wanted to testify, so the only person willing to come forward turned out to be a heavy smoker Mandrax.
The judge said she had been at the house in Hanover Park with buttons smoking Jantjies (Mandrax’s street name) most of the day. They left to go and get something warm to wear for the evening and were planning to meet again.
However, as she neared their meeting point, she saw Jantjies being attacked.
She testified that Gantjes was hit on the head with a brick, severely beaten, and then shot dead. She testified that four of the accused passed in front of her and she was able to identify them.
However, the judge said she also immediately testified that she was so shocked by what she saw that she smoked half a button, so she was not “sober and sane” when she witnessed the murder.
This means that there is not enough evidence to convict the four defendants of this charge.
When they heard that they would be acquitted of Gangtjes’ murder, the four of them turned to each other and smiled.
Sentencing against David, his relative Tyrone Davids, Mikkel Abdullah, Chamej Matheon, Munzier Jan, Mallika Meyer and Mujammat Kamesh continues until Tuesday.