Calls may implicate stepson

2003-09-23 15:25

Durban - On the day Neli Shabalala was killed, cellphone records show that calls were made to the alleged assassin from a telephone belonging to her stepson, Vivian Nkosinathi Shabalala, who is facing murder, conspiracy to commit murder and attempted murder charges in the Durban High Court.

Shabalala is appearing before Judge Brian Galgut and two assessors.

His co-accused is Mboneni Mdunge.

Both men have pleaded not guilty. Mdunge is alleged to have pulled the trigger.

Shabalala was arrested two weeks after the killing.

The victim was with her husband, Joseph Shabalala, leader of the world renowned Ladysmith Black Mambazo at the time, together with two friends, after a church service in Claremont, outside Durban.

Shabalala on Tuesday professed his innocence, saying he had no part in his stepmother's death.

A witness, Themba Hadebe, who made a statement implicating him, and who cannot be traced now, said Shabalala ordered the hit on his ageing stepmother, who was the leader of Women of Mambazo, a rival music group with which he and his group, Junior Mambazo are accused of having "competing interests".

Under cross examination by State advocate Dave Damerell, Shabalala admitted the phone used to make the calls to Mdunge belonged to him but he had no knowledge of who could have any calls using the phone at the time.

He added that he had left the phone with a member of his group, one Dludla, but that he had no knowledge who exactly was using the phone.

Suspecting that Shabalala's killing had been an "assassination", police after her death seized the cellphones of many of the members of the Shabalala family, including was Vivian Shabalala's two phones. It was one of these that a forensic expert said was used to make phone calls to Mdunge.

Shabalala said he gave his phone to Dludla on the day of his stepmother's death.

It was returned to him two weeks later, he said.

Shabalala is represented by Advocate Jan Venter.

The case continues.

- SAPA