The Durban Magistrate’s Court denied bail to former taxi boss Kholwani Prayerman Ntanjana, who is accused of orchestrating the attempted murder of SARS-appointed advocate Coreth Naudé SC. 

Naudé sustained gunshot wounds to the neck, face, and shoulder when she was allegedly shot by Siyanda Emmanuel Mbulwana and Mcebisi Corlen Runeyi on July 18, 2024, at the entrance of Premier Hotel in Umhlanga.

Runeyi and Mbulwana are alleged to have been sent by Ntanjana. They are currently in custody awaiting trial.

 At the time of her attack, she was conducting a tax inquiry into Andile Mpisane, the son of the controversial Durban businesswoman Shauwn Mkhize.

Following the brazen shooting, the senior counsel had to undergo reconstructive surgery on her jaw. 

In delivering his ruling, Magistrate Quim de Freitas raised several concerns. He found it troubling that Ntanjana’s eight previous charges, including murder and carjacking, were withdrawn without explanation.

“It’s not normal for a good upstanding citizen to be associated with murder, firearms, carjacking, etc. It’s clear he has a propensity to be associated with violent crime, which is not a normal thing,” the magistrate said. 

De Freitas also criticised Ntanjana for providing inconsistent information regarding his residence and financial affairs.

He noted that Ntanjana offered multiple addresses and, while initially claiming to own taxis in his first bail affidavit, he later stated in a supplementary affidavit that he had sold them. 

“He abruptly stated he sold the taxis. He does not say when, how, or how much they were sold for.”

De Freitas expressed concern about the money that Ntanjana said he makes monthly and noted that it was not reflected in his bank statement.

In the initial affidavit, he said he was making R500,000 a month, and in the supplementary affidavit, he said he was making R105,000 a month. 

He said Ntanjana’s bank statement did not reflect R60,000 that he claimed to be earning from Uncedo Service Taxi Association. He also noted that Ntanjana said he was living in Umhlanga with his customary law wife and paying R35,000 rent, while his company, Stozz Holdings, generates R45,000 monthly. 

“You have to have a lot of moola (money) to pay R35,000 rent per month,” he stated.  

The magistrate found that Ntanjana was not honest with the court, stating that the company he claimed to own was not registered in his name, nor was he listed as a director or manager.

Just before the ruling was handed down, Ntanjana’s lawyer, advocate Simphiwe Mlotshwa, presented a bank statement from FNB, arguing that it was an oversight not to have attached it to the supplementary affidavit earlier. 

Mlotshwa claimed the statement would show Ntanjana’s movements on the day of the incident. Senior Prosecutor Seema Reddy objected, calling it a defence attempt to cover up. 

The court demanded case law to support the late submission, which Mlotshwa admitted he lacked, but insisted the action was in the interest of justice. 

De Freitas eventually accepted the statement, but noted it only showed transactions from the morning of the incident, while the shooting occurred later in the day.

Ntanjana is scheduled to return to court in January 2026.

nomonde.zondi@inl.co.za

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