‘I was scared’: Witness tells court he relocated after Shailen Singh’s murder

A State witness who has placed murder-accusedFerrel Govenderat the scene where Shailen Singh was killed told the Durban High Court on Monday that four Indian men arrived at his new workplace in another province after he relocated because he no longer felt safe following the December 29, 2024 shooting in Umhlanga. Govender is on trial alongside his younger brother, Darren, for Singh’s murder. The State alleges the brothers killed Singh afterFerreldiscovered that the businessman was having an affair with his girlfriend, Salona Ramrutton/Kisten.

The witness, who cannot be named for safety reasons, testified that after seeing Ferrel standing in front of Singh’s vehicle during the shooting, he feared for his safety. At the time, he was a senior employee at a restaurant in Umhlanga. He told the court that because his employer did not provide counselling after the traumatic incident, during which he heard multiple gunshots, he resigned and relocated to another province.

“I was scared that if I told anyone what happened that day, it would come back to me,” the witness said. He further testified that while working at his new job, although he could not recall the exact date, a colleague informed him that four Indian men were asking for him by name. After reviewing the restaurant’s CCTV footage at his new job, the witness said he recognised one of the men as a regular customer from the Umhlanga restaurant. The witness asked the security from his workplace to raise awareness and check if everything was fine with the four Indian males.