Henderson murder trial: Court hears of ‘threats’ and car swap before fatal shooting

MURDER accused John-Ross Crossbery Henderson allegedly threatened to “deal with” the deceased and is believed to have swapped motor vehicles before the fatal shooting of Kimberley businessman Jayson Afrique and the attempted murder of his wife, Micayla Afrique.

Ten shots were fired at Jayson and his wife as they approached the driveway of their house in Black Street, New Park, on July 31, 2024.

Henderson is facing charges of murder, attempted murder, attempting to make a false report to the police, and defeating or obstructing the course of justice.

A witness, Mariam Rajah, who is employed at Kimberley Pharmacy, testified in the Northern Cape High Court that Henderson swapped cars with her colleague, Shaylon Tobias, prior to the murder.

She added that Tobias was friends with the accused.

“Henderson visited the pharmacy in his BMW on July 12, 2024, and handed Tobias his car keys. He asked her for her car keys and left with her white Volkswagen Polo.”

Two Volkswagen Polos that were spotted in the area where the murder took place were red-flagged on the Community Policing Forum’s (CPF) WhatsApp group, although the number plates were not identified.

Rajah stated that after returning from lunch, Tobias asked her for Jayson’s residential address.

“Jayson was my cousin. I told her that I did not know but that I would find out. I never asked her why she needed his address. She sent me a reminder on July 13. I later informed her that he stayed in New Park without giving her the exact location.”

She added that on July 15, Tobias again asked her for the street address.

“Tobias related that JR (Henderson) wanted to teach the ‘kingpin’ a lesson because he helped Monique, who was his girlfriend at the time, to move while JR happened to be in Johannesburg. Tobias told me to advise Jayson to ‘watch his back’.”

Rajah explained that Jayson’s nickname was “Keenan King”.

She indicated that Tobias never explained why she was driving the accused’s BMW.

“His vehicle only had a registration holder without a number plate.”

She said she learnt of her cousin’s death on August 1, 2024.

“Tobias sent me a message of condolences. I did not see the accused again.”

Cellphone activity 

Cellphone analyst Lieutenant-Colonel Hanlie Conradie stated that cellphone communication from different numbers linked to Henderson was traced at various cellphone tower locations in Kimberley around the time of the incident.

One of the handsets belonging to the accused was seized upon his arrest, while another cellphone was found at the crime scene. A SIM swap was made on one of the cellphone numbers.

Conradie added that WhatsApp communication could not be confirmed as it registered as data messages and calls. 

State witness Werner Muller testified that he was with his girlfriend when he heard the gunshots on July 31, 2024, before 9pm.

“We saw CPF member Dodds Pringle’s bakkie on the video footage and also drove to the scene.”

He explained that he had lost the videos when both he and his girlfriend replaced their cellphones.

“I went to fetch the plastic containers that were used to cover the cartridges and gave them to the police,” Muller stated.

Advocate Theunis Barnard is representing the State, and Herholdt Robertson is the legal representative for the accused.

Deputy Judge President Mmathebe Violet Phatsoane postponed the matter to March 2-6, 2026.