Murder accused security boss Ferrel Govender at Durban High Court on Tuesday. He has pleaded not guilty to all 14 counts that he is facing.
A Durban businessman has on Tuesday told Durban High Court that former security boss Ferrel Govender threatened him in 2023 following what he described as a misunderstanding during a phone call with Govender’s girlfriend, who had previously been in a relationship with the witness.
The businessman, whose identity cannot be disclosed, is the State’s first witness in the murder trial against Ferrel Govender and his younger brother, Darren. The brothers are accused of fatally shooting Durban businessman Shailen Singh in Umhlanga in December 2024. The State alleges the murder was motivated by a love triangle involving Ferrel, Singh and Salona Ramrutton/Kisten.
Testifying in chief, the witness said he had previously been in a relationship with Varushka Maharaj. He told the court that their relationship began to deteriorate when Maharaj started going out frequently while he was at work.
He said that on one occasion he saw a WhatsApp status posted by Maharaj showing her with Ferrel at a club in Morningside, Durban. Confused by what he had seen, he went there to confront her.
