Since the beginning of 2025 after his arrest at a Dundee tavern in KwaZulu-Natal, blogger and social media influencer Musa Khawula is busy at the country?s courts.On Friday Musawenkosi Khawula (32), who refers to himself as the "pope of pop culture", appeared briefly in the Fochville Magistrate's Court in Merafong Local Municipality.
ATTEMPTED MURDER AND OTHER CHARGES
He faces charges of attempted murder, alternatively reckless driving, as well as an additional charge of failing to render assistance and/or report an accident to the police.These charges allegedly arise from an incident that took place on 20 February 2021, around 6pm near Mponeng Mine.
According to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), it is alleged that the complainant and his wife were driving home on a narrow road when they noticed a Volkswagen Polo parked along the roadway. The accused was standing next to the vehicle naked on his lower body.
The couple approached the accused, informing him that he was trespassing on private property. Upon looking inside the vehicle, the complainant allegedly saw another man moving from the back seat to the front seat while getting dressed.
After an exchange of words between the complainant and the accused, the accused allegedly returned to his car, drove away, when he reached a dead-end he executed a U-turn. He then allegedly bumped the complainant, who was standing beside the driver's side of his vehicle, before fleeing the scene, leaving the complainant injured on the ground.
The NPA said a member of the Community Policing Forum (CPF) driving on the same road later found the injured complainant and alerted the police.
Khawula was arrested shortly thereafter at a nearby tavern at Mponeng Mine, making his first court appearance on 22 February 2021, where he was granted R1,000 bail.
APPEARING IN COURT NEXT WEEK
However, after failing to appear in court on two occasions, a warrant for his arrest was authorised, and his bail was forfeited to the state on 17 June 2021.
The accused was re-arrested and appeared in court again on 16 January 2025. The court has since added a charge of attempted murder, with reckless driving as an alternative, along with the charge of failing to render assistance and/or report the accident.
Meanwhile, Khawula has been charged with crimen injuria and violating the Cyber Crimes Act of 2020, alongside accusations of hate speech.
The charges are from a series of derogatory statements he allegedly made against businessman Zed Nxumalo, 44, during a troubling period between October, 10 and 12, 2024.It is claimed that the statements targeted Nxumalo?s dignity, which Khawula has to answer to in court as well.
Khawula has remained behind bars while awaiting his appearance in the Randburg Magistrate?s Court on January 29 for a formal bail hearing.
