Sister testifies that the relationship between her brother and his then 19-year-old son was toxic Sunil Brijmohan
The sister of slain former councillor Sunil Brijmohan, 46, who was gunned down in 2022, has been called as a State witness in his murder trial.
In the Durban Magistrate’s Court today, Natisha Brijmohan testified that the relationship between her brother and his then 19-year-old son was toxic.
Sunil Brijmohan’s best friend and business partner, Vikash Brian Sewnath, 46; Vernon Chetty, 26; Farah Moosa, 25; and Sibusiso Ngcobo, 26, are standing trial for his murder.
Natisha told the court that she and her brother shared a close relationship.
She said after her brother was killed, Sewnath had shown Brijmohan’s wife, Barbara, a photograph of Brijmohan with his arm around a woman named Melanie.
“When my sister-in-law (Barbara) saw this, she began crying again. My nephew, Divakar, said to his mother… ’Stop crying. What are you crying for...? Stop crying for that dog…’
“I said to Divakar, ‘You cannot call any human being a dog. It’s your father you are talking about. You cannot rejoice in somebody else’s death no matter who it is…’ Barbara then said to Divakar that he should shut his mouth before she gave him a slap.”
Under cross examination, Natisha said she advised Barbara to seek counselling for her nephew as he had issues with his anger and emotions.
She said the relationship between Brijmohan and his son was strained. However, in the year preceding Brijmohan’s killing, the son and Sewnath shared an “unexplainable relationship” and were “too close”.
On one occasion, after Brijmohan was killed, Natisha said Sewnath had asked her husband to help them with closing her brother’s murder case.
“I told him that that would never happen. My husband said he could not do that. He (Sewnath) justified his ridiculous request by telling me that he thought my brother was not paying his taxes properly and he was worried that Barbara and the children would end up on the streets. I told him that with my brother dead, Barbara would take over the business and she would be given time to sort out whatever she needed for the business,” she told the court.
The trial continues.
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