The alleged murderer of a private security manager poined a cocked gun at the first officer on the crime scene, the court has heard.
|||The alleged murderer of a Pietermaritzburg private security manager faced the first police officer on the crime scene with a cocked gun, the Pietermaritzburg Regional Court heard on Monday.
Warrant Officer Ivan de Villiers, of the motorcycle unit, told regional magistrate Kevin Leat that murder accused Bonginkosi Nele, 47, then pulled back and disappeared around a corner.
Nele later dropped the gun and surrendered with his hands up, De Villiers said.
Former security guard Nele is accused of murdering Daniel van der Spuy, a manager of the Protea Coin Security office in Pietermaritzburg, in June.
De Villiers testified that the killer shot Van der Spuy from across his table, before moving around the table to shoot him twice more.
He explained that this could be surmised from the positions of three spent cartridge cases found on the floor.
Van der Spuy had handed a notice of dismissal to Nene moments before the shooting.
Nene was facing dismissal for repeatedly refusing to shave his beard or cut his hair as stipulated in the policy of the security company.
He claimed this was against his religious principles as a member of the Ebuhleni Shembe International Church.
Nene has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Van der Spuy, claiming that he acted in self defence as he thought that Van der Spuy would pull out a gun.
He used his own licensed pistol to shoot the manager.
The trial was postponed to Thursday at the request of the defence. - Sapa