The man accused of murdering the son of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s security boss has made his first appearance in the Bellville Magistrate’s Court after he was arrested last week.
CAPE TOWN – The man accused of murdering the son of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s security boss has made his first appearance in the Bellville Magistrate’s Court after he was arrested last week.
Naftal Zandamela, 41, was taken into police custody on Thursday and formally charged at the weekend.
He was charged for the murder of Warren Samuel Rhoode on April 22.
The Bellville man was visiting Delft when he was stabbed several times and his black VW Polo, which has not yet been recovered, and cellphone were stolen.
It was revealed in court that the cellphone of the deceased was found in possession of the accused’s girlfriend and that had linked him to the murder.
Zandamela was born in Mozambique and lives in Delft. He has a previous conviction for house robbery.
At the time of the murder, he was on parole for a suspended 15-year sentence that would have ended in 2027.
The State prosecutor, identified as Ms Vena, said there were indications that six warrants of arrest were out for Zandamela but that would be confirmed during the bail hearing.
The State will also verify whether the defendant is in the country legally.
Zandamela is accused of fatally stabbing Rhoode several times and he also faces charges of robbery with aggravating circumstances.
Rhoode, whose father Wally Rhoode is the boss of the Presidential Protection Unit, had been reported missing for two weeks when his body was found in Tygerberg mortuary.
Wally Rhoode, dressed in military uniform, and his family were in court.
The victim’s brother, Quinton, said his mother was not doing well.
“We were relieved to find out that there was something happening with the case and we welcome the arrest.
“I went to court to see who the accused was because this was a shock that it was a foreign national. We don’t know if there are more arrests but we hope it will be swift. They must rot in jail. My mom said she is glad that they got someone and we are still looking for answers to find out what actually happened and what the motive was.
“It’s devastating because this is not the first time that my parents lost a child. When I was four years old my brother, who was seven at the time, died. She (mother) decided not to be in court but I wanted to see the man accused of my brother’s murder.
“We hope for a life sentence and we aren’t sure if he was the only one responsible for the murder,” he said.
Police spokesperson Novela Potelwa said the accused was taken in for questioning by the Serious and Violent Crimes detectives after an extensive investigation into the disappearance and subsequent discovery of 30-year-old Rhoode’s body in Thubelisha, Delft.
“The motive for the murder is believed to be robbery with detectives still pursuing all other available leads,” she said.
The SAPS offered a R50,000 reward for any leads.
The case was postponed to next week for bail application.
Wally Rhoode has been implicated in the Phala Phala robbery at Ramaphosa’s farm in Limpopo, with the president blaming him for not reporting the multimillion theft to the police.
