Phoenix woman's harrowing account of her friend's murder during the July 2021 unrest

Linda Khawula, a woman from Phoenix, recounted her harrowing experience during the July 2021 unrest. She testified in a Durban High Court that her friend, Njabulo Dlamini, was brutally murdered by a group of residents outside Teez Tavern. Trevor Gopal, his son Tyreece Govender, Ravine Naidoo, and Timothy Govender were charged with murder, attempted murder, and malicious damage to property.

The attack occurred on July 12, 2021, as Khawula and her friends were on their way to the tavern to purchase cocaine. The group had been stopped at two informal roadblocks set up by the community due to heightened tensions. When they finally arrived at the venue, Gopal, his son, Naidoo, and Govender allegedly attacked the passengers with various weapons, including baseball bats, golf sticks, hammers, and sjamboks.

Khawula claimed that she fled the scene after hearing a gunshot and sought refuge in a container near the tavern. She later witnessed her friends being beaten and set alight, eventually dying at Mahatma Gandhi Hospital. Gopal faces an additional charge of incitement to commit public violence for allegedly ordering his security guards and community members to assault and burn the victims.

The post-mortem examination revealed that Dlamini's death was caused by blunt force head injuries. The State has 19 witnesses, and the trial is ongoing.