A man and three hitmen he hired to kill his estranged wife have been sentenced to life imprisonment. Stanley Leshabane (59) and the hitmen Mbekelezi Ndodo Buthelezi (28), Emmanuel Thembelani Dlamini (33) and Bhekizenzo Sfiso Phiyose (36) all from KwaZulu Natal were sentenced yesterday by the Limpopo High Court in Polokwane for the double murder of Leshabane?s wife Makoena Mabusela-Leshabane and her business partner Tebogo Mphuti in 2020.

HITMEN PAID R5K

The three hitmen were contracted by Leshabane, who paid them a deposit of R5,000 in October 2020. According to Limpopo NPA spokesperson Mashudu Malabi-Dzhangi, the total amount agreed on for the killing was R60,000. Malabi-Dzhangi said that Mabusela-Leshabane and Mphuti were shot and killed while sitting inside a car in Polokwane Industria, after they finished inspecting a property they wanted to rent. According to evidence heard in court, Mabusela-Leshabane and Mphuti met an estate agent at Zune Street in Polokwane. "The estate agent testified that she met with the deceased, and they were viewing a property that they wanted to rent for purposes of a business. After the deceased viewed the building, they went to their vehicle. She testified that she saw three African males approaching the deceased's vehicle carrying things that looked like firearms, and they started shooting at the two deceased who were sitting inside the motor vehicle," Malabi-Dzhangi said.

THE DECEASED WERE FOLLOWED

The investigating officer testified that they investigated the crime scene and found that the buildings nearby had CCTV cameras. After viewing the CCTV cameras, he requested an expert to download them and proceeded to investigate at the toll gates. The investigations established that the accused vehicle passed through the toll gates. Dzingi said the police discovered that the getaway car belonged to Richard Zulu, who died while in custody before the commencement of the trial. "Two experts from tracking companies testified that the vehicle of the accused followed that of the deceased from the hotel where the deceased slept. The state led evidence of cellphone expert, and he testified that from Gauteng, the cellphone of the Dlamini, Zulu, and Phiyose moved parralel with the car that was spotted at the crime scene. "The cellphone records of the accused activated the towers from Germiston on 10 October 2020 and proceeded to activate various towers along the way to Polokwane. The accused and one deceased cellphone activated the same tower at the crime scene almost before they were killed. Thereafter, the accused's cellphones activated the towers along the way to Germiston," she said.

CONFESSION

The state led evidence during trial within a trial of the confession Leshabane made after his arrest. The confession statement was admitted as evidence, and on the confession, Leshabane narrated the planning of the offence. Leshabane handed a photograph of the deceased, registration number, and location of the deceased to the accused. Dzingi said in aggravation of sentence, the stepson of Leshabane testified that he and his siblings are now surviving by getting counselling, and the children are asking themselves why their mom was killed. Judge Geriet Muller sentenced the accused persons to direct life imprisonment and declared them unfit to possess firearms.