The man accused of murdering one of his patients at an unregistered drug rehab centre has disappeared after failing to appear in court earlier this week.
This comes after the defence lawyer for the murder accused, Zaid Isaacs, withdrew from the murder trial, which is set to be heard in the Western Cape High Court, after his client failed to arrive for his pretrial hearing on consecutive occasions.
Isaacs, who owns the Synergy Rehabilitation and Upliftment Centre in Ruyterwacht, is charged with murdering 35-year-old Igshaan Philander, a father from Mitchells Plain, whose body was found dumped in Philippi a day after his family were told that he had run away from the rehab in November 2021.
Isaacs, along with Vuyani Kedama, Moegamat Ishmail Jones and Moegamat Rafiek Ishmail, were subsequently arrested by police, and the rehabilitation centre was shut down.
During their bail hearings at Goodwood Magistrates’ Court, Jones and Ishmail’s lawyer said that the pair were instructed to dump the body and clean Isaac’s bakkie but managed to escape when they were sent to the shop. They later handed themselves over to the police.
Philander was held captive for two days, and the four men assaulted him for hours, according to the indictment.
It is alleged that they also allegedly doused him with hand sanitiser and set him alight before using a rope to hang him.
While bail for all the accused was initially denied, Isaacs later won an appeal at the High Court and was granted R10 000 bail.
His lawyer told the judge he had no idea where his client was and withdrew from the case as he had received no instructions from Isaacs.
The case was postponed until May 26.
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