Durban — Six accused charged with the murder of local art gallery owner Alan Gordon are set to make their bail application on Thursday (today) in the Durban Magistrate’s Court.
Gordon was allegedly stabbed, strangled, his body put into his car, tossed into a bush in the Ndwedwe area, and torched on March 8.
Proceedings for the six will be held in camera, meaning no media are allowed inside the courtroom due to the fact that one of the accused is a minor. The public is also not allowed to sit in on the proceedings, only the parents and relatives of the accused, and those of the deceased.
On Friday last week, it was anticipated that the bail application would take place. However, on that morning the State learnt from the defence that one of the accused, reflected as being 18 on the charge sheet, is in fact 17.
The case was adjourned to Monday when the minor accused appeared on his own for purposes of juvenile verification.
The matter was then adjourned to Thursday (today) for the bail application.
Nkanyiso Mathenjwa, 27, Mnqobi Hoboyi, 18, Siphesihle Vilakazi, 22, Mvelo Hlambisa, 18, and Mluleki Alex Gwala, 19, as well as the minor are also charged with theft.
It is alleged that they stole R120 000 from Gordon, all acting in common purpose in committing this crime.
Four of the accused are represented by Legal Aid South Africa while the other two each have private representation.
Gordon, 57, owned Etchings Gallery in Park Boulevard Centre, Durban North, close to his Brown’s Drift home.
Greenwood Park police arrested the six men following investigations stemming from Gordon’s disappearance.
Investigations led police to two men who allegedly lived with Gordon, who gave leads revealing that he had been murdered and his body was in the Ndwedwe area.
Four of the accused were arrested in Inanda and led police to the scene where Gordon's body was found.
It is also alleged that one of the suspects claims that he was in a relationship with Gordon. This is the suspect who handed himself over to police and allegedly had Gordon’'s cellphone in his possession.
Further investigations by police with the suspects in custody saw officers being shown the house where Gordon was allegedly killed and the spot where his body was tossed.
The trial into Gordon’s murder is likely to be heard in the High Court.
The Daily News understands that the minor turns 18 in September.
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