The Western Cape High Court has issued a warrant of arrest for a key witness in the murder trial of Gift of the Givers volunteer, Ameerodien Noordien.
The trial ground to a halt on Thursday after one of the alleged killers told his lawyer he was too sick to proceed for the day.
Ameerodien was killed in Surwood Walk on 5 October 2018 after coming under fire while walking to a winkel.
His death sparked widespread cries for police intervention and, within days, Police Minister Bheki Cele deployed his new Anti-Gang Unit (AGU) in the area and Adrian Carelse and Raydin Lekuta were busted.
The duo are charged with an array of charges including murder, attempted murder and firearm-related charges.
During proceedings, Carelse’s lawyer told the court that his client was suffering from severe back pain and fatigue after not taking his chronic medication and was unable to proceed.
The state prosecutor agreed that the case should be postponed to Monday but also alerted the court about the refusal of a state witness to come and testify.
Shrano Williams was set to testify on the murder of Keagan De Silver who was allegedly gunned down by Carelse several months before Ameerodien was killed.
According to the indictment, Keagan was killed while standing inside a winkel in Athwood Road on 22 August 2018, when Carelse and another gunman walked in and started shooting.
The state prosecutor said Williams attended the inspection at the shop last week where he said he would refuse to testify despite giving a statement.
He has since ignored subpoenas and gone missing.
The judge ruled that under the Criminal Procedures Act a warrant be issued for his immediate arrest.