The Star Late Edition

Move to clear Bozwana murder suspects

- Zelda Venter

THERE is not a shred of evidence against controvers­ial Mamelodi businessma­n Vusi “Khekhe” Mathibela to link him to the assassinat­ion of billionair­e businessma­n Wandile Bozwana, he contends.

In 2015, Bozwana was gunned down on the N1 highway.

Mathibela, dubbed Mamelodi’s

No 1 Tsotsi, along with his three co-accused Sipho Hudla, Matamela Robert Mutapa and Bonginkosi Paul Khumalo, yesterday asked the North Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, to clear them of all charges relating to Bozwana’s killing and the attempted murder of his business partner Mpho Baloyi.

The state has closed its case in the marathon trial which has been ongoing for more than three years.

The four are supposed to begin stating their case, but they have brought an applicatio­n for their discharge in terms of Section 174 of the Criminal procedure Act. This means that they want the court to find that there is no evidence linking them to the Bozwana incident, thus they should be acquitted before they present their defence.

If Judge Papi Mosopa agreed with them, the four could be free by May

21, when judgment will be delivered regarding their applicatio­n.

Bozwana was shot seven times after one gunman fired several times at him while he was a passenger in Baloyi’s car.

Another gunman opened fire at her, but the wounded woman managed to drive off and obtain help at a nearby glass fit outlet.

Bozwana died shortly afterwards at the Unitas Hospital.

The trial in the high court kickedoff in 2018 when a large screen was erected in court to display CCTV footage of evidence.

This captured the movements of Bozwana and Baloyi that day in Sandton City mall when they went to a shoe store to buy a belt for Bozwana and visited a hair and nail salon, where each had a manicure and pedicure.

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