Four days of court proceedings, but Bozwana killing still a mystery

THE EARLY afternoon shooting of North West billionaire Wandile Bozwana in October 2015 at the Garsfontein offramp on the N1 remains a mystery.

And with the trial of his suspected assassins in its fourth day, none of the witnesses have identified the people involved. A possible motive behind the killing has also not been divulged.

Bozwana was at the time of his death embroiled in legal proceedings with the North West province regarding alleged tender irregularities.

His lover, Mpho Baloyi, who was driving the car on the day of the murder, and who was severely injured by the bullets, this week testified she had no idea who fired the shots or exactly where they came from.

She told the high court in Pretoria she simply saw the door of a luxury BMW sports car, which stopped behind them at a red robot at the offramp, open. She said she did not see if anyone got out of the vehicle or who fired the shots which killed Bozwana.

Another witness, who worked in the vicinity of the off-ramp, testified that he heard shots and saw someone from a distance shooting, but he too could not identify the gunman.

Taxi owner Mmiselani Dlamini took the stand yesterday and testified that he knew three of the accused – Sipho Patrick Hudla, 34, Matamela Robert Mutapa, 40, and Bonginkosi Paul Khumalo, 36 – as they were, like him, members of the Alexandra Taxi Association.

He did not know accused Vusi Reginald Mathibela, 30, the man the State claimed pointed Bozwana out to the other accused at Sandton City shortly before the incident.

Dlamini testified that he and the three accused he knew were at the office of the taxi association on the morning before the incident. Dlamini said he owned a car, but could not drive. He usually asked a friend to drive him.

On that morning Khumalo asked him to drive with him– in Dlamini’s car – to Sandton City. According to Dlamini, Hudla and Mutapa drove behind them in a double cab vehicle.

He and Dlamini parked in the basement of the mall, but he did not see the other two.

He said Khumalo asked him to wait for him, which he did for about two-and-a-half hours, until Khumalo phoned him to tell him he was already back at the association’s office.

Khumalo then send a queue marshal to fetch Dlamini and his car. Back at the office, Mutapa gave him R2 000 to “thank him for his patience in waiting for Khumalo”. Dlamini said he was at first also arrested but was freed after two days when he could not be connected to the incident.

The State claimed the accused followed Bozwana and Baloyi from Sandton City.

The trial continues.