Govender brothers set for murder trial at Durban High Court in January 2027

The murder accused former security bosses Ferrel and Darren Govender are likely to stand trial in January 2027, with the trial expected to take more than a month before its finalisation.

This timeline was established during a pre-trial conference at the Durban High Court on Thursday morning. The brothers are accused of shooting Singh in broad daylight on Meridian Drive in Umhlanga in December 2024.

The alleged motive stems from Ferrel accusing the married victim, Singh, of having an affair with his girlfriend.

Ferrel Govender, who remains in custody after being denied bail four times, has been identified by the state as the shooter. Fourteen spent cartridges were recovered at the crime scene by the police. 

Ferrel faces a total of 14 charges, including attempted murder, assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, two counts of assault, and five counts of crimen injuria. While Darren, who is out on R200,000 bail, faces the murder charge only.

State senior prosecutor advocate Krishen Shah informed the court that a trial-within-a-trial would occur during the main proceedings due to disputed aspects between Ferrel and the State. Shah suggested January 17 or 18, 2027, as potential trial start dates. “We have agreed that five weeks would be sufficient,” Shah said.

When Judge Nompumelelo Radebe suggested an additional pre-trial conference to explore alternative dates, Shah stressed the necessity of reserving the January 2027 dates, revealing he was fully booked for the remainder of 2026.

Ferrel’s lawyer, Ravindra Maniklall, who was not pleased with the 2027 dates, said it must be remembered that his client has been in custody since January 2025 and had recalled previous discussions about a July 2026 date. However, Shah quickly dismissed this, explaining that the entire investigating team would be occupied with the murder trial of South African rapper Kiernan ‘AKA’ Forbes and his friend, Chef Tebello ‘Tibz’ Motsoane.

Shah said: “The investigating officer and the entire team are involved in the AKA matter. Trial-within-a-trial would not proceed with witnesses (investigating team) being in another trial.”

Previously, Judge Esther Steyn had refused to certify the matter as trial ready, instructing the defence to formally document the specific aspects of the audiovisual evidence they intended to challenge.

Judge Radebe postponed the matter to February 12 for the final confirmation of the 2027 trial dates, pending the availability of the court calendar for that year. As the matter was postponed before Ferrel went back to the cells, he shared a brief hug with his brother Darren. 

nomonde.zondi@inl.co.za