Nearly a year after their arrests, court proceedings against Ishmaeel Dhalech, former Chairperson of the Newcastle Community Policing Forum, and his co-accused—Ebrahim Adams, Mahomed Ashraf, and Yaseen Mohamed—resumed on Monday, 25 August 2025.
On this occasion, the defence team focused its efforts on undermining the state’s case, highlighting contradictions and, in turn, raising serious doubts about the allegations that the men were involved in the death of 26-year-old Khulekani Hlathshwayo.
At the centre of the defence’s challenge was the cross-examination of a key state witness. Initially, the young woman had testified that she saw the accused men participate in the assault that allegedly led to Hlathshwayo’s death. However, under questioning, her account changed noticeably, and the inconsistencies in her testimony raised serious doubts about the reliability of her earlier statements.
During the proceedings, State Prosecutor Ravindra Maniklal questioned the 20-year-old witness, who stated that she and her mother had observed the incident from their home on Bird Street.
Furthermore, the witness is related to two of the accused, Mahomed Ashraf and Yaseen Mohamed, which introduced a potential element of bias in her testimony. At first, she maintained that Dhalech and Adams assaulted Hlathshwayo, while Adams also threatened to set her family’s home alight. She further claimed that her cousins later joined the assault at the back of a bakkie.
However, as the cross-examination unfolded, she admitted that she had not actually seen her cousins taking part in the attack, and in addition, she conceded that she could not be certain whether Dhalech or Adams had assaulted Hlathshwayo at the back of the vehicle.
Moreover, the questioning soon shifted to her personal connection to Dhalech. Although she initially denied knowing him on a personal level, Maniklal pressed further, asking, “Is it not true that your father was arrested by Mr Dhalech for kidnapping, and assaulting a person with a sjambok?” After some hesitation, she was compelled to acknowledge this fact, which contradicted her earlier denial and further weakened the weight of her testimony.
In addition to these inconsistencies, she admitted that after the accused and other community members had left, she and her mother saw Hlathshwayo return to their yard. According to her account, he appeared naked and disoriented, yet she noted that no visible injuries could be seen on his body. Furthermore, she explained that someone residing on the property later removed him from the premises, although she could not confirm how this was carried out.
The following day, Hlathshwayo was reportedly discovered by paramedics, who then removed him from the area.
Subsequently, the accuracy of her testimony was brought into even sharper focus when it was revealed that her written statement to the police did not correspond with what she told the court. She alleged that the Investigating Officer had typed her statement on her behalf and may have either altered or omitted certain details. She also explained that her memory had been affected by an anxiety attack in 2024, which she suffered prior to providing her account to the police.
As a result of these developments, the contradictions exposed during cross-examination placed considerable pressure on the state’s case.
Looking ahead, the matter is scheduled to continue on Tuesday, 26 August 2025. For the relatives and supporters of the accused, there is cautious optimism that the proceedings may confirm their innocence and clear their names after a lengthy period of uncertainty.
Nevertheless, the case remains unresolved, and central questions continue to hang over the trial: did these men play a role in Hlathshwayo’s death, or are they standing trial for a crime they did not commit? With the outcome now resting on the court’s assessment, the answer is yet to emerge.
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One Response
Sounds like an awesome investment for the accused who are definitely proven to be innocent so far, I know all for personally they very humble with awesome families, in all of this uncalled kak if I may say Adams has lost his mom and everything he worked for because of a incompetent, useless dont know how to do his job investigating officer