The Ohanaeze Ndigbo, South Africa (ONSA), has prayed the country’s court to ensure that justice is served in the case of its slain 38-year-old member.

Mendis Uzodimma, a youth entrepreneur in South Africa, was murdered by a South African family gang in his shop in Rosettenville, Southern Johannesburg.

On Wednesday, the Igbo association, an arm of the Nigeria Union South Africa (NUSA), said it would not let up the prosecution in a statement by its Deputy Secretary-General, Tochukwu Ngwoke.

Mr Ngwoke stated that Ohanaeze received the news of Mr Uzodimma’s gruesome murder on May 13 and urged the authorities to ensure justice as a deterrent to others.

He prayed the court to ensure quick dispensation of justice to console the family of the deceased.

“On May 13, 2021, the leadership of ONSA received a distress call from our people (Igbo people) in Rosettenville, Southern Johannesburg, informing us about the gruesome murder of a young, energetic, and vibrant Igbo son, Mr Mendis Uzodimma.

“The deceased, a 38-year-old young man, owned a phone shop on Main Street, Rosettenville, and hailed from Ohaji Egbema in Imo,” Mr Ngwoke said.

Mr Ngwoke further stated that ONSA, under the leadership of Sunny-Wenike Douglas, had on May 14 stormed Booysens Magistrate Court, where the murder suspects were arraigned, awaiting bail.

He explained that the congregation of ONSA in court was to show solidarity for its kinsman and ensure that nothing untoward was done by the court to free the murder suspects.

“We want to make sure that the slain Uzodimma gets justice. A witness who spoke to us at the court premises said Mendis was stabbed severally by a South African woman and her husband from Zimbabwe, whose daughter sold a phone to Uzodimma.

“Apparently, the daughter of the woman, who is alleged to be an online porn artiste, sold her phone to our brother, who in turn sold it to another person who saw the porn movies where the girl featured and started circulating them,” he revealed.

Continuing the story, he stated, “When the girl got it, she thought it was the person she sold the phone to who circulated it not knowing that he was not the one as he had sold off the phone.

“So, it was out of fury that the lady, her mother, and her mother’s husband stormed Mendis’s shop. Without hearing from him, the mother started stabbing him until he slumped and died.”

Mr Ngwoke added that already two witnesses had testified to ensure that justice was served.