Durban — A Phoenix man alleged to have killed his family by setting them alight in their home appeared in the Durban High Court on Tuesday where the matter was rolled over to Wednesday.
Kista Sergie Chetty, 57, is facing five counts of murder, six counts of attempted murder, as well arson.
He is charged with the murders of his wife Elisha Naidoo, 39, his 13-year-old daughter Jadene, his nine-year-old son Jordan, eight-year-old daughter Aarav and his three-year-old son Aldrin.
At the time of the murders in November 2021, the family had been living in a room which they rented at a house on Kidstone Place in Phoenix.
According to the State, Chetty’s brother-in-law Deon Naidoo and his family also lived in this house, leading to the six counts of attempted murder in relation to Naidoo and his family which included four minor children.
It is alleged that on the day before the murders Chetty was chased away from the house after he had allegedly been violent towards his wife and her brother.
The man is alleged to have continued to harass the occupants of the house wanting to be allowed back in.
His daughter Jadene, now deceased, allegedly opened for her father in the early hours of the morning when his family was asleep in the room they rented and Naidoo’s family was asleep in the lounge.
The State’s substantial facts in the matter are that Chetty decided to kill the occupants of the house.
“He used an accelerant and ignited a fire in the bedroom after which he fled the scene. The bedroom and adjoining rooms were gutted and all five deceased were burnt to death in the bedroom,” alleges the State.
On Tuesday, Chetty, who remains behind bars, appeared in court with no legal representative as he was still waiting to be allocated a Legal Aid attorney.
Senior State advocate Krishen Shah explained that he informed Legal Aid on September 26 that the matter was on the roll and the accused required counsel.
He said last week he had been told that a counsel had been instructed to go to Westville Prison to consult with Chetty ahead of his appearance on Tuesday.
“I still have not heard anything, I was told that Mr Chiliza would deal with the matter but he was busy with a part heard,” he said.
Judge Thoba Poyo-Dlwati then suggested the matter be rolled over to Wednesday for a clear way forward from Legal Aid and consultation for pre-trial on Monday.
Daily News