News24.com | July 2021 unrest: Judgment day for two Phoenix brothers on trial for murder

From left: Phoenix brothers Ned and Dylan Govender along with their neighbour Jeetendra Jaikissoon at the Verulam Magistrate’s Court.

• The KwaZulu-Natal High Court in Durban is delivering judgement in the case against two Phoenix men accused of murder. 
• Brothers Dylan and Ned Govender face a charge of murder and three attempted murders in connection with an attack that took place in Phoenix, north of Durban during the unrest in July 2021.
• The accused have pleaded not guilty.

It's D-Day for the two KwaZulu-Natal brothers accused of murder during the unrest and violence in Phoenix in July 2021.

Proceedings got under way in a packed KwaZulu-Natal High Court in Durban on Friday.

Brothers Dylan and Ned Govender, stand accused of killing 19-year-old Mondli Majola and attempting to kill three others during the unrest.

The brothers and Jeetendra Jaikissoon, a deceased accused, were allegedly involved in the murder.

In his judgment, Judge Gregory Kruger said that the 19-year-old had died surrounded by a mob, with his hands and arms raised. 

The two accused arrived in court smartly dressed, in navy and grey suits respectively. They showed no emotion as the judge started his summary of the case. 

On the one side of the courtroom, Phoenix residents packed the public gallery while members of the Amoati community, where Majola had lived, filled up the other side.

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According to the State, the accused had accosted Majola and three others while they were walking to the Cornubia Mall via Desert Palm Road in Phoenix.

It is alleged that the four men ran to a nearby house where they sought refuge, but Majola tripped and fell.

He was then attacked by a mob allegedly led by the accused.

Dr Sibusiso Ntsele, a pathologist who testified during the trial, said Majola had been shot in the head and in his right thigh.

His body was discovered on Desert Palm Road in Phoenix.

Jaikissoon died in police custody in October 2021 while awaiting trial.

The Govender brothers have pleaded not guilty.