A female taxi operator charged with the attempted murder of one of her competitors has denied all knowledge of the allegations.
|||Durban - A woman taxi operator charged with the attempted murder of one of her competitors, who was thrown into a river from a bridge, has denied all knowledge of the allegations against her.
Mirriam Nxasana, 52, appeared in the Pietermaritzburg High Court on Monday.
Appearing with her were her co-accused, Thembalihle Nkontwana, 33, and Nhlakanipo Ngcobo, 21, who she is alleged to have hired to execute her murderous plot in November 2010.
The three are charged with conspiring to murder Nxasana’s Creighton competitor, Bongumusa Nzimande, and attempted murder.
Nkontwana and Ngcobo are further charged with robbery with aggravating circumstances and kidnapping, while Nkontwana is also charged with rape.
They have all pleaded not guilty.
The State alleges that some time prior to the incident, Nxasana suspected Nzimande of hiring someone to kill her after they had quarrelled over taxi routes.
She then allegedly decided to kill him before he killed her.
It is alleged that Nxasana approached Nkontwana and Ngcobo to execute the murder, to which they agreed.
The State alleges on November 13 Nxasana transported the men in her car to Nzimande’s home to show them where he lived.
Early the next morning the men arrived at Nzimande’s house armed with a bush knife and a hammer.
They allegedly forced the door open and found Nzimande asleep in his bed with his girlfriend.
The assailants demanded cash and cellphones from the couple and took R1 300 in cash, and their bank cards.
Nkontwana then allegedly raped Nzimande’s girlfriend, after which the assailants blindfolded Nzimande with a T-shirt, and bound his hands behind his back with rope.
They then pushed Nzimande into Nxasana’s car, which they had used, and drove the frightened taxi boss to the Umkomaas bridge, where they flung him over, still bound and blindfolded.
Nzimande survived the fall and, while treading water, managed to free his hands. He swam to safety and reported the incident.
The trial continues.
Daily News
