Witness recalls fatal shooting in GQ court

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A Gqeberha security officer who was stationed at Motherwell Magistrates Court at the time of Sergeant Mario Nel’s murder described the chaos that broke out during his testimony in court on Tuesday.

Nel, 42, was shot dead on May 3 last year after a civilian attacked him from behind and snatched his service pistol.

That day he wore a full police uniform.

The State alleges that Andile Nyoka attacked Nel at about 8:50 a.m. as he was pinning the court transcript for the day on the noticeboard.

Nyoka is said to have grabbed Nel’s service pistol and the two wrestled over the weapon.

Nel was shot in the head.

According to the indictment, Nyoka left the courthouse with Nel’s firearm.

Mzolisi Komani, who works as a security guard, said he was stationed at the main entrance to the courthouse and was tasked with searching the men who entered the courtroom.

He said he had observed the defendant and his clothing because he had been impatient and had attempted to force his way into the building by pushing his way to the front.

According to Komani, Nyoka was wearing a white vest and green tracksuit pants.

Komani told the court that he heard screams from the public in the courthouse about ten minutes after Nyoka entered the building.

As people screamed, the senior site officer radioed Komani to close the entrance to the court.

Before he could close the door, however, he heard a shot.

“I wasn’t sure where the shot came from or who fired it.

“People were running through the main entrance to get out of the building.”

At that point, Komani testified, he noticed the man who had tried to pass him during the search approaching him with a firearm in his hand.

He said the gun was pointed at the sky.

“I realized that there was no one next to me. Everyone had run away.

“I ran too, fearing for my own life,” Komani said.

He later identified Nyoka during a lineup.

The process continues.