A trio accused of killing Rand Water executive Teboho Joala and his bodyguard, Sifiso Shange, appeared at the Lenasia magistrate’s court on Monday.
Joala and Shange were gunned down in front of pupils at a community hall in Zakariyya Park, south of Johannesburg.
This happened during a back-to-school event on January 29 2024.
The spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority, Phindi Mjonondwane, said the three men face two counts of premeditated murder and three counts of attempted murder.
The court postponed the matter to April 29 for a bail application.
Police arrested the suspects on Friday, bringing the number of those apprehended in connection with the hit to four.
The arrests were effected in KwaZulu-Natal, the province that Police Minister Bheki Cele recently labelled as the main supplier of hitmen in South Africa.
Intelligence-driven operation
According to provincial police spokesperson Brenda Muridili, the intelligence-driven operation led to the arrest.
Police spokesperson Brenda Muridili said on Friday: “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 yesterday [Thursday], 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 arrested 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,” said Muridili.
The Gauteng police commissioner, Lieutenant-General Tommy Mthombeni, commended his officers on the arrest of three suspects for the murders of Joala and Shange.
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 brother’s adversaries, they 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.
“We have been numbed by the kind of pain we feel. 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 before fleeing the area.
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.
