Businessman Katiso Molefe, who is suspected of being the mastermind behind the murder of well-known music producer and club owner Oupa John Sefoka, better known by his stage name DJ Sumbody, will not know the outcome of his bail application until next week.
Molefe (61) appeared at the Alexandra Magistrate’s Court on Thursday for the continuation of his bail application, which is opposed by the state.
Molefe and three alleged hitmen, Michael Pule Tau (55), Musa Kekana (35), and Tiego Floyd Mabusela (47), have been charged with the murders of DJ Sumbody and his two bodyguards, Sibusiso Mokoena and Sandile Myeza.
The four men are facing three counts of murder, two counts of unlawful possession of a firearm, and one count of unlawful possession of ammunition in connection with the murders of DJ Sumbody, Mokoena, and Myeza.
DJ Sumbody, Mokoena, and Myeza were shot and killed while travelling in their cars on November 20, 2022, at the corner of Woodmead and Woodland Drives in Sandton, Johannesburg.
His attorney, advocate Michael Hellens SC, presented his closing arguments to Magistrate Renier Boshoff. Hellens said the state’s case against Molefe is based on “pure speculation and guesswork”.
He said Molefe should be granted bail because he was at home when police arrested him on July 21, arguing that his client is not a flight risk.
Suitable candidate for bail
Hellens said after Molefe was granted R100 000 bail on appeal on June 27 by the Pretoria High Court in a separate case, he had not violated his bail conditions from the time of being granted bail to the time of his arrest three weeks later in July.
He told the court that this makes him a suitable candidate for bail.
Molefe was granted the R100 000 bail in June by now Acting Gauteng Judge President Aubrey Ledwaba.
In opposition to his bail, the state said Molefe’s 2004 conviction by a court in the United Kingdom shows that he cannot get bail.
The state argued that during his 2004 UK court conviction for possession of cannabis, Molefe used a false name (David Tebogo Lebitsa).
The state said this shows that Molefe engaged in fraudulent activities and cannot be a suitable candidate for bail.
The state asserted that there are no exceptional circumstances that warrant Molefe’s bail.
After the presentation of the state’s and defence’s closing arguments, Boshoff postponed the matter to August 20 for judgment on the bail application.
All four accused remain in police custody. Molefe is kept at Kgosi Mampuru Correctional Centre in Pretoria.
Meanwhile, Tau, Kekana, Mabusela and Molefe have been charged with the murder of Vereeniging engineer Armand Swart, who was shot and killed outside his workplace in Vereeniging on April 17, 2024.
Mistaken for a whistleblower
Swart, who worked for Q Tech Engineering Company in Vereeniging, was shot and killed when the alleged hitmen mistook him for another employee who was a whistleblower.
Tau, Kekana, Mabusela and Molefe have also been charged with murdering musician Hector Buthelezi, also known as DJ Vintos.
DJ Vintos was shot and killed in a hail of bullets in March 2022 outside a nightclub in Orlando East, Soweto.
National police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said the unknown men who killed DJ Vintos were driving in a BMW X3 at the time of the murder.
Tau, Kekana, and Mabusela are also charged with murdering Don Tindleni. Police are still looking for the mastermind behind the murder.
Mathe said Tindleni was shot and killed in March 2023 on the N1 highway near the M17 off-ramp while he was in his BMW 5 Series.
Firearms connected to other murders
Mathe said the firearms used to kill DJ Sumbody, Mokoena, Myeza, and Swart are the same weapons used to kill DJ Vintos and Tindleni.
Mathe added that after Swart’s murder in April 2024, the police arrested Tau, Kekana, and Mabusela. She said police seized four firearms from the three accused during their arrests – an AK47 and three pistols.
She asserted that the firearms bore a direct connection to the murders of Swart, DJ Sumbody, his bodyguards, DJ Vintos, and Tindleni.
The firearms, according to Mathe, are linked to 10 high-profile cases of murder and attempted murder, among other crimes.
Four of the 10 cases are those of DJ Sumbody and his bodyguards, Swart, DJ Vintos, and Tindleni.
