Three men who are accused of murdering Teboho Joala and his bodyguard, Sifiso Shange, will return to court on June 4 for a ruling on their bail applications.
The trio appeared in the Lenasia magistrate’s court on Monday. It was their second court appearance since their arrest.
The matter was postponed following a request by advocate Simphiwe Mlotshwa, the lawyer representing the accused men.
“All three of the accused come from Kwazulu-Natal. There is a need to get supporting documents to be utilised during the bail application in an effort to discharge the honours that lay on the three accused,” said Mlotshwa.
Killed in full view of pupils
Joala and Shange were gunned down in front of pupils at a community hall in Zakariyya Park, south of Johannesburg.
The shooting happened during a back-to-school event held on January 29.
The arrests were effected in KwaZulu-Natal, the province that Police Minister Bheki Cele recently labelled as the main supplier of hitmen.
Intelligence-driven operation
According to provincial police spokesperson Brenda Muridili earlier this month, an intelligence-driven operation led to the arrest.
Muridili said at the time: “The team, which is inclusive of the provincial crime-detection tracking team as well as the tactical response team, traced the first suspect and arrested him while on his way from KZN to Gauteng.
“Upon questioning him, two more suspects were traced to their hiding place in KZN, where they were also apprehended.”
She said another man was nabbed in March after being found in possession of the suspected murder weapon.
“The 27-year-old accused, Ayanda Ngwenya, remains in custody, and his case has been remanded to April 26.”
The Gauteng police commissioner, Lieutenant-General Tommy Mthombeni, commended his officers on the arrest of the suspects.
Tenders cited as reason for the hit
Speaking to Sunday World in February, Joala’s brother, Ntsane, claimed that because the family was unaware of his adversaries, it had kept silent about the tragic loss.
He characterised his brother as a gentle man who loved his family.
“I was very close to my brother. I would have known if there were any death threats against him,” Ntsane said at the time.
“The kind of pain we feel has numbed us. We lack words to explain the shock we have experienced.”
According to witnesses, an unidentified individual entered the Zakariyya Park Hall, walked up to Joala, and fired multiple shots at him and his security guard before fleeing.
At the time, speculation was rife that the murder was a hit organised by people who were disgruntled about changed fortunes regarding tenders at Rand Water.
