Bail postponed for two men arrested for attempted hit on Sars advocate

Two men linked to the attempted murder of SA Revenue Service (Sars) advocate Coreth Naude have asked for more time to consult their families to help support their bail plea.

This transpired in the bail application in the Durban magistrate’s court on Wednesday.

Siyanda Emmanuel Mbulwana and Mcebisi Runeyi were arrested in Cape Town and have been charged with conspiracy to commit murder, possession of a semi-automatic rifle and the attempted murder of Naude. 

Naude was working for Sars on a case against controversial businessperson and Royal AM FC owner Shauwn Mkhize and her son Andile, when she was shot and seriously wounded in an apparent assassination attempt in July.

The inquiry was being held at the offices of Cox Yeats Attorneys in Umhlanga, and she was ambushed by two gunmen when she entered the parking garage of a hotel in Umhlanga.

Prosecutor Veneshree Moodley opposed bail and submitted an affidavit by investigating officer W/O Praved Maharaj, who outlined the investigation after the attempted hit. 

Maharaj is attached to the provincial serious crime unit.

He said Naude was in Durban for a tax inquiry at Cox Yeats attorneys, at Ncondo chambers in Umhlanga Ridge.

On July 18, Naude left the inquiry at about 4pm and drove to the Premier Hotel in Umhlanga Ridge.

“Driving her Mercedes-Benz and following her colleague who drove a hired Citroën C3 at 4.07pm, she was at the parking boom gate at the Premier Hotel when a silver Toyota Corolla stopped just outside the entrance to the parking lot.”

He said two unknown men got out of the car with firearms and ran to Naude and her colleague’s cars.

“An African male who alighted from the left rear passenger seat of the silver vehicle immediately ran towards Naude’s vehicle and began shooting at her through the driver’s side window. The second African male who was in the passenger seat immediately ran towards Naude’s colleague but she had already taken off as the boom gate was open,” said Moodley.

The second suspect then ran to Naude’s vehicle and fired shots into her vehicle.

“This can clearly be seen on the CCTV footage obtained from the Premier Hotel. Naude managed to drive into the parking lot and the suspects fled to their getaway vehicle,” said Moodley.

The advocate managed to drive to the second floor to get help.

“At this stage the victim was bleeding severely. She got out of the vehicle and went to the lift area and called for help but nobody came to assist. She then went back to the parking area where she was assisted by a Dr Buthelezi,” said Moodley.

Buthelezi applied pressure to the bullet wounds and called for an ambulance, which took her to Umhlanga Hospital.

She was shot four times in her neck, right shoulder and chest and had to undergo reconstructive surgery to her jaw.

The investigation team compiled CCTV footage the next day and looked into finding the owner of the getaway car.

Moodley said the state opposed bail as the risk of the pair evading trial was high as the case was a serious matter. She said they weren’t permanently employed and it would be easy for them to go on the run. 

The state said the two had, in the past, been granted bail but had failed to return to court in separate matters involving vehicle thefts.

“The victim who survived the attack and the witness have been through a traumatic experience. The victim’s location was traced, her motor vehicle was identified and she was followed and then attacked. She still uses her vehicle so it will be easy for them to target her again and possibly eliminate her before the trial,” said Moodley. 

Thando Manzi, representing the two accused, told magistrate Ashwin Singh his clients needed more time to consult their families in Cape Town to assist with filing a supplementary affidavit to support their bail plea. He said they pleaded not guilty.

Manzi said their release would not cause a public outcry or jeopardise the functioning of the justice system. He said there was no evidence to suggest they were flight risks. 

Singh granted the postponement to February 20.

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