A Limpopo businessman accused of hiring hitmen to murder his wife might inadvertently have implicated himself in the crime during cross-examination in his marathon trial in the Polokwane High Court.
Stanley Leshabane, who is accused of hiring hitmen to murder his estranged wife, Makoena Mabusela-Leshabane, admitted that the signature attached on a confirmation statement, in which he admitted to hiring hitmen to kill his wife, was his.
Mabusela-Leshabane was shot and killed by gunmen on October 10, 2020 at a Polokwane industrial site. Her friend Tebogo Mphuti was caught in the crossfire and was also killed.
Leshabane has denied any involvement in his wife’s murder.
During cross-examination this week, it emerged that Leshabane hired Ndondo Buthelezi, John Zulu, Bhekumuzi Phiyose and Thembelani Dlamini to execute the killing. Zulu died while in custody in 2023.
The accused are facing charges of murder, conspiracy to commit murder and illegal possession of firearms and ammunition.
The statement contains bloodcurdling details on how Mabusela-Leshabane and Mphuti’s murders were premeditated.
Although Leshabane acknowledged the signature attached to the statement was his, he insisted he did not remember admitting to killing his wife.
In the statement, Leshabane confirmed to have confided in a friend that he wanted to have his wife killed, and the friend allegedly told him that he
knew a guy who could hook him up with hitmen.
The statement further states that Leshabane received those contacts and hired two hitmen and gave them his wife’s picture, car registration number and the location where she was booked while in Polokwane for a business trip.
The statement further confirmed that Leshabane paid the hitmen R5 000 to follow his wife to Polokwane and further promised to pay them R60 000 once the job was completed.
On Wednesday a visibly nervous Leshabane told the court that he did not recall making the statement.
He told the court he couldn’t have furnished the hitmen with his wife’s whereabouts as he did not know exactly where she would be sleeping on the night before her death.
“One could have stated that my wife would sleep at GaSebotsi instead of what is stated here. But I don’t really recall where that came from, my lord.
“At the time of the statement, I was not in a good state, having lost my wife and the stress I went through having been hospitalised and thrown into jail,” Leshabane testified.
He said even though they had marital problems, he never felt the urge to end his wife’s life.
Accused number two, Buthelezi, 29, who is believed to have pulled the trigger, told the court he was sleeping at his home in Katlehong, Gauteng, on the day of the murders.
“I used to work at night and came home the following morning. From around 7am, I went straight to bed and woke up in the afternoon around 2pm,” said the taxi rank marshal.
Accused number four, Dlamini, 34, also denied the charges, saying he never set foot in Polokwane on the day of the double murders.
“The first time I was here was when I got arrested and brought to Polokwane to appear in court,” said Dlamini.
Judge Geriet Muller is set to deliver judgment on July 26.
