Nomonde Zondi|Published 2 hours ago
A State witness has told the Durban High Court how murder-accused former security boss Ferrel Govender allegedly assaulted his girlfriend, Salona Ramrutton/Kisten, until she lost consciousness before firing six shots in her direction while accusing her of having an affair with businessman Shailen Singh.
The alleged assault took place on December 22, 2024, a week before Singh was allegedly shot dead in Umhlanga. The State alleges that Govender and his younger brother, Darren, lured Singh to a meeting on December 29, 2024, where he was fatally shot. Govender has been identified by the State as the shooter.
The witness, who cannot be named, testified on Thursday afternoon that she had been friends with Ramrutton/Kisten for some time. Before the alleged assault, she said they frequently met up or spoke via video calls during which Ramrutton/Kisten often had visible bruises.
“When I asked her what had happened, she would simply say they had a misunderstanding and would not elaborate,” the witness told the court.
She said that shortly before the incident, Govender contacted her asking about Ramrutton/Kisten’s whereabouts. She replied that she did not know where her friend was.
The two continued communicating via WhatsApp, during which Govender allegedly told her how much he missed Ramrutton/Kisten, describing her as his “ride or die”.
The witness said she confronted Govender about allegedly abusing her friend.
“He told me he had not physically abused her recently. He said, ‘She must behave, and the reason she gets smacked is that she has a big mouth,’” the witness testified.
She later met Ramrutton/Kisten, showed her the WhatsApp messages and attempted to mediate between the couple. While they were together, Govender phoned, and they agreed to meet him at his house.
The witness said that while she was trying to mediate, Govender suddenly became aggressive.
“He said, ‘Ask this b**** here.’ Either Salona said something under her breath or rolled her eyes. He immediately got up, punched her in the face and said, ‘I’ll show you.’ He then went upstairs. She screamed in pain and told me to run,” she testified.
Unable to find an exit, the witness said she remained inside the house.
She told the court that Govender returned downstairs, grabbed Ramrutton/Kisten by the hair, dragged her across the floor, and repeatedly assaulted her with his fists and feet.
“He went to the kitchen, came back with a round vase, and smashed it over her head. He then pulled out a revolver and fired about six shots in her direction. I begged him to stop,” she testified.
Throughout the assault, Govender allegedly accused Ramrutton/Kisten of cheating on him “with the whole of Umhlanga” and specifically with Singh. He also demanded that she return his belongings.
By then, the witness said, Ramrutton/Kisten had been severely assaulted.
“She was screaming, saying, ‘I’m sorry,’ while covering her head. She begged him to have mercy on us.”
The witness said there was a brief period during which Govender appeared to calm down and repeatedly asked Ramrutton/Kisten, “Why did you do this to me?”
He eventually allowed the two women to leave for medical treatment.
The witness, who said she was afraid, said she apologised to Ramrutton/Kisten afterwards because she felt responsible for encouraging the reconciliation meeting.
“I had never witnessed anything like that before. I felt responsible because I had tried to mediate their relationship,” she said.
The trial continues.