Four years after the brutal killing of Mitchell’s Plain teen, Chad Basson, his alleged killer has denied all the charges against him as the trial commenced this week.
Jephrey “Percy” Afrika appeared in the Mitchells Plain Magistrates’ Court this week for the shooting in Lentegeur which led to Chad’s death.
The popular youngster was killed in a drive-by shooting in July 2018 amid a gang war between the Fancy Boys and Junior Cisco Yakkies gangs as he bravely shielded his friend from the hail of bullets.
At the time, residents alleged that Chad and the group of friends who attended a 21st birthday party were mistaken for gangsters and came under fire.
The death of the 19-year-old sparked an outcry in Lentegeur and his grieving parents battled to come to grips with his death.
After Chad was buried, dad Cornelius along with mom Dawn, 53, started raising questions about the slow pace of the investigation.
The couple had discovered that the alleged gunman had fled to Port Elizabeth and no attempts were being made to locate him.
Soon after, Afrika was busted by the Anti-Gang Unit and brought to Cape Town to stand trial.
He faces various charges including murder, attempted murder, and the illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition.
He has pleaded not guilty to all the charges and the trial has been postponed to 1 July.
“We are happy that the trial has started so we may get closer to getting justice but we will never have closure. As the Basson family, we have lost a big part of our lives,” says Cornelius.