Two of three witnesses in Khayelitsha mass murder trial are dead, court hears

Two state witnesses in the trial of Yanga “Bara” Nyalara, an alleged extortionist responsible for 12 murders in Khayelitsha in May 2021, have been killed. The State wants the court to allow the last remaining eyewitness, who has already survived two attempts on his life, to testify while wearing a mask.

This emerged in the Western Cape High Court sitting in the new Goodwood Prison Court on Monday, 22 July as the case against Yanga Nyalara and his co-accused Wanda Tofile began.

The pair is charged with 12 murders, six attempted murders and illegal possession of firearms and ammunition. It was the first case to be heard at the newly constructed Goodwood Prison Court.

In this court, the accused appear in a special cell and communicate with their lawyers through the bars.

According to the initial indictment, there were four accused – Nyalara, Tofile, Manelisi Ngumla and Lundi Zweni – who faced 18 counts of murder, six counts of attempted murder, illegal possession of firearms and ammunition, dealing in and possessing drugs and violating the Prevention of Organised Crime Act (Poca).

Twelve of the 18 murder counts relate to gangs vying for a slice of an extortion ring controlled by the Guptas and Boko Haram gangs in Khayelitsha that were allegedly behind a massacre that claimed the lives of 12 and injured seven others just over three years ago.

Read more: Court papers lift the lid on alleged extortionist’s Khayelitsha killing spree that left 18 dead

The State contends that Nyalara is a prominent member of a gang that engaged in a range of criminal activities, including the extortion of informal businesses in Khayelitsha, and committed violent criminal acts aimed at instilling fear in the owners of informal businesses.

However, according to the amended indictment read into the record on Monday, only Nyalara and Tofile remain as accused. The Poca charge was dropped and both Ngumla and Zweni have since been acquitted.

Nyalara pleaded not guilty to the charges, explaining that he was arrested on 30 June 2022, a year after the mass killings, and that he did not participate in the 2021 shootings. He said he was innocent of all charges.

His co-accused also pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Six murder charges dropped

Witnesses murdered