Cape Town - The trial of 11 men accused of carrying out a spate of shootings in the southern suburbs between 2016 and 2019 has begun in the Western Cape High Court.
The men are charged under the Prevention of Organised Crime Act for their alleged involvement in the “Junky Funky Kids” gang operating in the Muizenberg and Steenberg districts.
They are charged with 79 counts including murder, attempted murder, possession of firearms and ammunition, robbery with aggravating circumstances and dealing in drugs.
Charges emanate from 15 police case dockets with alleged offences being committed in the Hillview, Vrygrond, Retreat, Lavender Hill, Cafda and Muizenberg areas over three years.
The State is alleging that the group worked under instruction of the Junky Funky Kids gang which it said “has a territorial authority in Steenberg and Muizenberg” police districts.
Anderson Koeberg, Dillon Absalon, Brandon Beukes, Alfonso Samuels, Lyle Silver, Benedick Silver, Vernil Simons, Damian Sedeman, Ebrahiem Moosa, Keanan Potgieter and Ishmail English on Thursday appeared in the Cape Town Regional Court sitting as the High Court, where they pleaded not guilty.
Among the victims is one-year-old Tashwell Junior Nel, who was killed during a drive-by shooting on July 8, 2018.
It is alleged on the day, while little Tashwell was sitting on his uncle’s lap in a car parked in Komlossy Street, Cafda, three of the accused drove by and opened fire.
Little Tashwell was shot in the head and died, while eight other people were injured in the attack.
Absalon, one of the three accused involved in the incident, was on Thursday described as church boy when a police officer, who cannot be identified, took the stand.
The officer had conducted an identity parade at the time where he said Absalon and two others were identified as suspects by the witness. He said he knew Absalon from church but wasn’t fazed when he was identified as a suspect.
“That child was a child of the church, he was a good athlete and he will come back (to the church),” the officer said. The trial continues.