Durban — Six men accused of the killing of Durban art dealer Alan Gordon, including his partner, made another brief appearance at the Durban Magistrate’s Court on Friday to face charges including kidnapping and murder.
The accused are Mluleki Alex Gwala, 20; Mvelo Hlambisa, 19; Mnqobi Hoboyi, 19; Nkanyiso Mathenjwa, 28; Nkululeko Mpanza, 19, and Siphesihle Vilakazi, also 19.
Police said a seventh accused would be appearing alongside them.
At their previous appearance, the State, led by prosecutor Calvin Govender, opposed bail for all six men.
It is alleged that the men, two of whom lived and worked with Gordon, 57, at his home on Browns Drift Road, Durban North, strangled and stabbed him.
It is suspected that his body was loaded into the boot of his VW SUV, dumped in bushes in Ndwedwe and set alight before the car was driven back to his home.
His brother, Brian, reported him missing in Komatipoort (near the South Africa and Mozambique border) on March 8.
Members of a local community police forum (CPF) and a policeman visited Gordon’s home after learning about his disappearance on March 12.
A neighbour gave them access to the property, where they found Gordon’s two dogs and his vehicle.
Neighbours also provided contact numbers for the two men who lived with Gordon.
When contacted, one of the men said they were at a satellite police station reporting Gordon as a missing person.
The CPF members and the police met Gordon’s two housemates and they were taken to the Greenwood Park police station.
There, one of the men allegedly admitted that Gordon was killed and his body dumped in Ndwedwe.
Through assistance from informers, police were able to track and trace three other accused to a house in the Maphephetheni area in Inanda.
They gave police directions to where Gordon’s body was dumped and burnt.
Items of Gordon’s clothing were found at the scene.
Investigators were then able to establish that the body of an unidentified white man found on March 6 and kept at the Phoenix mortuary was that of Gordon.
A day later, an uncle of the sixth accused person in the matter handed his nephew over to police.
The accused in question was in possession of Gordon’s mobile phone and was believed to be in a relationship with him at the time of his death.
Independent on Saturday