Community anger as businessman appears in court

Community members came out in their numbers on Monday, armed with a petition and placards voicing their opposition to businessman Theo Gora being released from custody.

Gora, 22, is set to remain behind bars until October 28 when he will have an opportunity to apply for bail.

He faces charges of attempted murder and kidnapping after he allegedly struck 18-year-old Misomihle Nkwalase with a vehicle and then dumped him in the bushes in an alleged act of vigilantism.

Misomihle, a grade 12 pupil at Ndzondelelo High School, remains in a critical condition in hospital.

Ahead of the scheduled appearance at the New Brighton Magistrate’s Court, the Ndzondelelo High School body held a prayer session for Misomihle and his distraught family.

His emotional mother said the prayers and the outpour of support from the community, had kept her going.

As Gora, the suspended head of operations at Kasi Delivery, briefly took to the dock, scores of angry community members filled the public gallery.

Outside the court building, others sang while holding up placards which read: “Justice for Miso.”

Community members behind the #Justice4Miso campaign garnered 1,500 signatures in support of their petition submitted to court for Gora to remain behind bars.

Gora was arrested on Friday after a public post on Facebook in which he admitted to having struck the teenager with the vehicle he was driving in Veeplaas on October 11.

He claimed that Misomihle had been part of an armed group who allegedly robbed him earlier that night.

Gora claimed in the post, which has since been the subject of debate on the social media platform, garnering hundreds of comments and shares, that five men had robbed him of his cellphone and money after he left work.

“In a moment of panic and frustration, I decided to chase after them using my vehicle,” he said in the post.

He claimed that he “accidentally” struck one of the men and only later realised it was someone he knew. He also apologised for his actions.

Gora’s lawyer, Zolile Ngqeza, said though his client had taken himself to the police station, and was sent back home as he was told the matter was still under investigation, he had co-operated with the police until his ultimate arrest.

“it was not a struggle for him to be arrested and, as such, we strongly believe he is not a flight risk.

“Due to the sensitivity of the matter and the victim still in the hospital, our instructions are not to make any comments, but rather that my client and his family are hopeful that the victim will recover fully and are willing to assist in any way possible,” Ngqeza said.

The petition, meanwhile, states that Gora’s release would send a “dangerous message that power and influence can outweigh justice”.

“We, the people of Gqeberha and surrounding communities, stand together in unity, pain and outrage as we call on the New Brighton Magistrate’s Court to deny bail to Mr Theo Gora.

“This is not just a legal matter; it’s about justice, safety and accountability in our community.

“We cannot stand by while those accused of violence and abuse continue to walk freely among the very people they have harmed.”

The petition said further that bail should be denied for the following reasons:

• Public safety: The charges involving violence and attempted murder make Gora [allegedly] a danger to the community; 
• Risk of intimidation: As a well-connected businessman, he has the means to intimidate witnesses or interfere with the investigation;
• Disregard for human life: His alleged actions show no respect for justice or accountability; and
• Community trauma: The incident has caused deep and emotional harm to the family and youth who once saw him as a role model.

Misomihle’s  mother, Zoleka, said she was thankful to the community and the school for the support they had shown since the incident.

“I don’t have the strength to go through this ordeal alone. Without the community support, I don’t know if I would still be alive.

“I am truly grateful to them and Miso’s school for holding a prayer for his recovery. It brought me a renewed source of strength and hope.

“Miso has made me a proud mother throughout his life, excelling in sport and generally being a disciplined child.

“I looked forward to his post-matric life as he was set to write exams this month.

“Now, I fear that even if he recovers, he will never be the same again and will not be able to complete his schooling.”

She said her son was still in a critical condition in the intensive care unit at Livingstone Hospital.

Ndzondelelo High principal Thamsanqa Nkonki said the youngster was awarded certificates of excellence for athletics and soccer in his absence during the school’s valedictory on Friday.

“We are keeping Misomihle in our prayers because he is part of the school community.

“We may not know exactly what happened, but we support our boy so that he can recover in hospital.

“Misomihle is known as a disciplined boy who loves sport. We wish him well and it’s unfortunate that he won’t be writing his exams.”

Resident Sinazo Totoyi said he joined the march to court to support Misomihle as he was well known in the community and had never caused any problems.

“I’m here because Theo has [allegedly] lied about what happened that day, and his story kept changing as he told different people what happened.

“For him to discard the young boy who he’s known all his life as his neighbour in Veeplaas made things even worse.”

Another resident, Xoliswa Jafta, said they were happy that Gora would remain in custody.

“It left a bad taste in our mouths when we saw him roaming the community last week as if nothing had happened.

“We are happy he was finally arrested. The fact that he was [not released on Monday] gives us hope that justice will be served.”

The Herald