GEORGE NEWS - A local policeman, Warrant Officer Christopher Stevens (47), appeared in the Thembalethu Magistrate's Court on Monday 15 July after being summonsed in connection with an intimidation case. The case was postponed to 6 August for legal representation.
The case relates to an alleged phone call that Cornelius Esau, former Uncedo taxi association spokesperson, reported he had received in 2016 in which he was threatened.
Esau said that on 26 January 2016, he received an anonymous phone call on his private phone while he was at the Uncedo offices. "A male person with a Capetonian Afrikaans accent, talked to me in a very threatening tone and said, 'Ons weet met watse k*k jy besig is in George, ons gaan kom vir jou, ons weet waar jy bly. Jy moet lekker slaap, jy en jou familie,' before dropping the call," said Esau.
Esau alleges that a similar call was made to the former Uncedo chairman Sikhumbuza Mini (52) during this time and they went to the Thembalethu police station to open a case of intimidation. "Approximately seven months after the calls, Mr Mini was killed right in front of his house," said Esau.
Capt Malcolm Pojie, the Southern Cape police spokesperson, said this week that there is no evidence, whatsoever, that suggests that the intimidation case is linked to the Mini murder. "The Mini murder investigation is ongoing. Although no one has been arrested yet, people of interest have already been identified. We cannot reveal more at this stage as it can potentially jeopardise the investigation," he said.
Mini was shot multiple times in the head and upper body upon arriving home from a meeting at the Thembalethu taxi rank. As he got out of his Toyota Avanza, the shooter(s) opened fire. He had attended the meeting with the organisation's legal representatives from Cape Town, other taxi owners and Esau. Mini dropped off the legal representatives at King George Hotel after the meeting and then took Esau home before heading to his own home.
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