The State told the Durban Magistrate’s Court that it has video footage of the killing of Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) regional manager Jacob Khoaele, and it intends to lead evidence with it at trial. 

This was revealed during the bail application of twins who are traditional healers, Vukani and Vukile Mchunu.

The twins, together with Sandile Sakhile Ngcobo and Mthandeni Cele, are charged with the murder of Khoaele.

The twins, from Mlazi’s Ngonyameni, claimed to have a church and could heal people, but the court denied them bail on Friday.

State alleges that Khoaele was killed because he did not want the twins to get payment for the unsatisfying work they did for Prasa. A previous manager reportedly resigned over the same issue.  

In an affidavit of the investigating officer, Sergeant Nkosinathi Madonsela, which was read by senior prosecutor Calvin Govender, he said Khoaele, who was killed on January 22, 2025, in La Lucia, was boxed by a brown Ford Ranger double cab.

The shooters began firing at Khoaele while still in their car, then exited and continued shooting.

“The incident was captured by nearby video footage,” Madonsela said.

He said that when Khoaele was boxed on Shelbourne Road, he was coming from his grandchild’s school meeting. Additionally, Madonsela said during his investigation, he established that a Hyundai Atos was following Khoaele on the fateful day. 

“A Hyundai Atos was seen on footage at Khoaele’s work in the morning, parked. The same vehicle is seen leaving Khoaele’s work, and it goes to the nearby Sasol garage, and that is when the occupants are seen coming out of it. One goes inside the garage shop to buy airtime and drinks,” Madonsela explained. 

He said after the garage trip, the Atos went back to Prasa and parked there. He said Khoaele left work at 09.00 in the morning, and the car followed him.

 “After some time, Khoaele is seen driving back to his work, and the suspects were still following him,” he added.

Madonsela said the suspects stayed at Prasa until Khoaele left at 16.00, and they followed him. He said near Durban Station, two vehicles, a brown Ford Ranger and a Red Toyota double cab, were seen joining the Atos. Madonsela said the car registrations of the vehicles were visible except for that of a Toyota.

He said the Brown Ford Ranger was cloned, and the Atos belonged to a lady who said she was using it for Uber. The lady (name unknown) said her Atos was being driven by Samkelo Shange. Shange is said to have implicated the accused.

When Shange was brought in for an interview, he told Madonsela that Ngcobo called him on January 21 in the afternoon and told him to fetch someone from Umlazi V-section on January 22 in the morning. Shange said when he got to uMlazi, the twins were with three other people. He said Vukani got into the car and told him that they were going to Durban Station on the side of the buses. 

“When they got there, Vukani told him (Shange) that he was to check someone, and he wanted to see all the vehicles driving inside the Prasa office. Shange parked facing the gate,” Madonsela said. 

Govender said the State would also use cellphone records and cellphone mapping to show the movements of the accused.

He said the Director of Public Prosecutions was yet to decide if Shange would be a Section 204 State witness. 

The matter was postponed to September 29 for further investigation.

 nomonde.zondi@inl.co.za

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