A self-confessed gangster turned state witness in a murder trial involving alleged gang kingpin Wendell Petersen told the Port Elizabeth High Court on Tuesday he had received a message from a fellow prisoner that he should not testify against his former co-accused.
During cross-examination, Morne Nel, 36, told the court how he received a message from “a German man”.
He said the man told him that if he did not testify against Petersen, Jermaine “Dolf” Mitchell, 30, Glynn “BoudtHolland” Carelson, 30, Robin “Milo” Taylor, 21 and Graham “Gram” Kammies, 35, “all would be forgiven”.
“[Between February 14 and April 23 2018] I was contacted by [Petersen] – he sent a message via a German guy who is also being held at the Humewood police station,” Nel said.
Put to him by defence advocate Terry Price SC that he was testifying in court and implicating his former co-accused to save himself from imprisonment, Nel remained adamant that he was telling the truth.
“I came here to tell the truth. I was there [on the day of the shootings]. I am not here to falsely implicate the accused,” he said.
All five accused have been charged with three counts of murder, three counts of conspiracy to commit murder, four counts of contravening the Prevention of Organised Crime Act and the illegal possession of firearms and ammunition. All have pleaded not guilty. It is alleged that on September 14 2015 the men – working in cahoots with each other – shot dead three people in and around Port Elizabeth.
According to the state, Theodore “Tupac” Matthews was shot dead as he climbed out of a taxi on the corner of Durban and Cottrell roads.
Later that same day, the gang allegedly shot dead Rajen Naidoo outside a Burt Drive, Newton Park, home.
Their third and final target, the state alleged, was Jermain “Jabilo” Essau, who was shot dead in Springbok Street, Gelvandale, that evening.
Nel told the court he was with the group of men on the day of the shootings. He also identified the voices of the accused when cellphone recordings were played in court.
Nel admitted that he had previously lied under oath when testifying in a different murder case in June 2015.
He claimed he was instructed by Petersen to deny knowing him or his gang affiliation.“All I did in court [in 2015] is what Wendell Petersen instructed me to,” Nel said.
Asked by Price why Nel now admitted his own gang affiliation and that of Petersen and his co-accused, Nel said he needed to tell the truth.
“I need to tell the truth and not go according to what Wendell Petersen instructs me to,” he said.
It later emerged in court that Nel had been in contact with Taylor in early May and that the German man referred to as the one who passed on the message to Nel was murder accused Jens Leunberg.
Leunberg is charged with two counts of fraud and the murder of Claus Schroeder.
The case continues.