Miguel Louw accused tries to get murder case scrapped

Durban - Mohamed Vahed Ebrahim’s lawyer on Wednesday made an application in the Durban High Court for the murder and kidnapping charges against Ebrahim to be dropped.

This was after the State closed its case. Ebrahim is on trial for the kidnapping and killing of 10-year-old schoolboy Miguel Louw.

Arguments for this application are expected to be heard today.

Ebrahim was arrested after the Rippon Primary School pupil went missing in July last year.

Ebrahim was a close acquaintance and co-worker of Miguel’s mother Raylene Louw. During the trial, the State referred to video footage which showed Ebrahim and Miguel inside a KFC outlet in Sydenham, near Miguel’s home. They are seen waiting for food and exiting after collecting it.

The investigating officer, Warrant Officer Rajan Govender, was the State’s last witness yesterday.

He testified that as soon as he was appointed as the investigating officer, he visited Miguel’s school with the intention of interviewing pupils who had been mentioned by another pupil, who was already a State witness.

But when the principal contacted their parents they refused to allow the children to testify.

The pupil had earlier told the court that he and several other boys had seen Ebrahim at the school gate looking for Miguel on the day he went missing. The minor testified that Ebrahim had offered one of the boys R10 to call Miguel for him. The boy identified Ebrahim in court.

Govender said they had seized both Ebrahim’s cellphones, one Ebrahim had not declared.

He also testified about the two searches conducted by the police and the dog unit in the thick bushes not far from Ebrahim’s home in Phoenix, where Miguel’s body was eventually discovered on September 3, 2018.

During cross-examination, Ebrahim’s lawyer, advocate Jay Naidoo, questioned Govender on the police’s attempts to trace Miguel’s uncle Mike Louw, whom Miguel’s mother Raylene Louw had claimed to have been in a love relationship with.

Mike Louw was not traceable after Miguel’s disappearance. The mother had also testified that she and Miguel’s father Kirk Louw were in the process of reconciling at the time.

Govender said he had tried everything to find Mike and also with the assistance of a family friend who is an attorney, the attempts were fruitless. “No one gave any positive information, but everyone promised to assist in finding him,”said Govender.

He said he had been to Mike’s house in Sydenham and made enquiries on his whereabouts, but did not find him. “I have not seen this person called Mike, and I don’t know what he looks like. I heard there was a person who came to the trial and I was told it was Mike, but I did not see him.”

Naidoo said the only evidence linking Ebrahim was the video footage where Ebrahim is seen in a public place for 10 minutes. “His identity was known and it became public knowledge that he had been arrested in connection with Miguel’s disappearance.”

The trial continues.

Daily News