Guard tells of Soni’s orders to shoot doctor

A security guard has dropped a bomb shell in the Pietermaritzburg High Court, saying he had been approached by murder accused Rajivee Soni to “harm” doctor Bhavish Sewram in exchange for payment of R100 000.

Soni is accused of murdering Sewram as he believed that Sewram was involved in a relationship with his wife Kerusha.

Already three people Sabelo Advocate Dlamini, Mfaniseni Wiseman Nxumalo and former policeman Brian Treasurer are serving life sentences for their roles in Sewram’s murder.

Soni, well-dressed in a suit and tie, walked into court confidently this morning, with his attorney Naren Sangham, and even posed for photographs, telling Public Eye photographer Mark Wing, to get good pictures of him.

Kicking off this morning’s evidence was former Envirowatch security guard Mlungisi Sithebe who said he knew Soni from previous security contract dealings; and had met with him at a Victoria Road shopping centre in February 2013, where they exchanged contact details. Soni indicated they needed to meet to “discuss something”.

The security guard said he was excited to be in touch with Soni as he thought he would be getting a new security contract from him.

Two weeks went by with no contact from Soni and despite leaving messages for him at his office.

Eventually in March 2013, Soni contacted him and they met at the corner of Pietermaritz and West Streets.

“Soni arrived in a white Mercedes Benz and asked me to get in. He told me he needed two security guards – one for the day and one for the night. Then he said he had another job for me and if I do it, I will make R100 000 from it,” said Sithebe.

Soni drove him to Mkondeni and on the way there asked him his accessibility to firearms.

“Then he said there is something else he wanted to tell me. He told me there was a doctor who injected his child and as a result his child ended up paralysed. He told me he wanted to scare the doctor as the doctor was not treating him well. I immediately knew something was not right and asked Soni why he really wanted the doctor injured,” said Sithebe.

Soni, he said, then revealed that his wife (Soni’s wife) was involved in a relationship with the doctor.

“He asked me how I would feel if another man was involved with my wife. I didn’t respond as I was not married at the time,” said Sithebe.

He said at Soni’s Mkondeni offices, Soni fired the guards present to take on Sithebe’s guards.

The next day, he said, Soni called asking him where he was, while already parked outside Sithebe’s house.

“He wanted to take me to show me the doctor’s surgery and asked if I would be able to do the job. We went to Boshoff street where Soni pointed out the doctor’s room on the left. Then he told me that the doctor also had another surgery in Northdale and took me there. He gave the times the doctor would be working – the times he got there in the morning and when he left. He told me if the doctor was not at one surgery, he was at the other. After that he asked me if there was any way I could obtain a firearm to shoot the doctor. He asked me whether my official work firearms were licensed. I was startled and knew he wanted me to kill the doctor,” said Sithebe.

Soni allegedly told Sithebe that there were no CCTV cameras near the Boshoff Street surgery but he knew there were cameras inside the other surgery but not outside.

“He also told me that he had ‘top notch’ attorneys to get him, the shotist or anyone else involved out if they got caught,” said Sithebe.

Sithebe said while he initially considered the option as he was needed money for his forthcoming wedding, he was also intimidated by Soni’s veiled threat that he “was well connected to cops from all over – Loop Street, Alexandra and Mountain Rise” (police stations).

“This made it difficult for me to report the matter. But I did tell people in my office about the proposition, but they did not take me seriously, brushing it off saying we shouldn’t be concerned as long as we got the business of the two new guards,” said Sithebe.

Sithebe said Soni then drove him to an FNB ATM near the McDonalds on Burger Street where Soni first ascertained that there were no CCTV cameras.

“Once he knew there were no cameras, he then withdrew R3000 and told me to use that to buy a firearm. He said he’s giving me a week to shoot the doctor and will thereafter pay me R100 000,” said Sithebe.

Sithebe said he then realised he would not be able to carry out Soni’s orders as he was a Christian.

“I realised I couldn’t kill someone. I went straight to the doctor and told him I had been sent to kill him. I could see that the situation was really serious,” said Sithebe.

He said he told the doctor to pack up and move out.

“I escorted the doctor to his house and said I was going to report the matter in Durban as Soni would be able to find out in Pietermaritzburg,” said Sithebe.

Upon leaving the doctor’s house, Sithebe said he then called Soni, and lied that he had shot the doctor outside the gate of his house.

“ Soni said he would get back to me. A few minutes later he called saying he was not going to pay me as he had called several police stations but there had been no report of the doctor being shot. He also told me that he has called the doctor’s house and the doctor had answered so there was no way the doctor could have been shot,” said Sithebe.

A few days later Soni met with Sithebe at the Soni’s property – Shakeel’s Centre.

“At that meeting, he took out R12 000 and said he was going overseas and while he was there the doctor must be shot. He said he would pay me the rest of the money when he got back. After that I did not answer his calls,” said Sithebe.

Sithebe said he later made a statement to police after the doctor called and asked him to do so. He said he even feared for his life.

“I was so scared of what was going to happen to me. When Soni took me to see the surgeries, I recorded him doing so on my cellphone. I gave that cellphone to my fiancé and told her that if anything was to happen to me, she should give that to the police. That phone was then given to the police,” said Sithebe.

He said he eventually resigned from Envirowatch and lost contact with Soni as Soni had told me he had other people to kill the doctor.

The trial continues with defence attorney Naren Sangham cross examining Sithebe.