The family of Tony Mziza (37), the man who was shot and killed on a plot in Putfontein in May 2020, has expressed disappointment with the outcome of the case following the recent conviction of the remaining suspect.
His family reported him missing at the Putfontein SAPS on May 21, 2020, after they became suspicious when his stock (plastic materials to make hangers) went missing from a container that was kept on the plot.
Later the same day, the police found the body of a man burning in Vermeulen Road, Putfontein, which was about 300m from the plot where Mziza lived as a tenant and from where he worked as a workshop manager at his brother’s logistics business.
The police contacted the family about the discovery of the body and they identified the victim as their family member by a mark on his body and a boot found on the scene.
When police carried out their investigations into his disappearance and the alleged theft of stock, it was discovered the stock had been sold in Brakpan.
On July 30, 2020, Mziza’s landlord, Eugene Roberts (46), was arrested on suspicion of being linked to the crimes.
During his arrest, Roberts confessed to knowing about two murders, Mziza’s death and another victim, an unidentified man, whose head was decapitated, body burnt and the head was thrown into a septic tank at a Rynfield house owned by Roberts’ friend, Ronald Holmes.
Holmes (46) and his nephew, Jean Pierre Holmes (29), were then also arrested.
Following up on leads, the police also recovered illegal firearms and ammunition at another address in Benoni belonging to Ronald Holmes.
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Another murder case, in which the body was apparently ground up and fed to pigs, also formed part of the case; however, these allegations were dismissed in court.
During court proceedings, Ronald Holmes confessed to all the crimes and told the court he was the one who pulled the trigger on the firearm that killed the two men.
Roberts and Jean Pierre Holmes were convicted and sentenced to 10 years’ and eight years’ imprisonment, respectively’ on January 27, 2022.
Roberts was sentenced for defeating the ends of justice, theft and accessory after the fact, while Jean Pierre Holmes was sentenced for defeating the ends of justice and accessory after the fact.
In addition, Ronald Holmes, who had faced 13 counts, was sentenced on April 7 to two life terms and 79 years’ imprisonment.
He was found guilty on two counts of murder (life imprisonment per count), possession of an unlicensed firearm (semi-automatic, 15 years), possession of a prohibited firearm (fully automatic assault rifle, 15 years) and two counts of possession of an unlicensed firearm (seven years per count).
Other charges included three counts of defeating and/or obstructing the course of justice (five years’ imprisonment per count), two counts of violating a corpse (five years per count) and unlawful possession of ammunition (10 years). The sentences will run concurrently.
* Two more suspects appeared in court in connection with the theft of Mziza’s stock that was sold in Brakpan.
Family speaks out
Mziza’s brother, Kenny Mziza, said although they are relieved the case is over, he is not satisfied with the convictions.
“The person who we believe killed my brother and orchestrated the murder is Roberts. We are saddened that he didn’t get a lengthy sentence.
“We believe Ronald pleaded guilty to all the murders because they were capitalising on the medical parole after it was revealed he suffers from a medical condition,” said Kenny.
He said his brother’s death affected his family emotionally and financially.
“We are still coming to terms with his death. Things have been very difficult. His death has affected my 73-year-old father’s health. He is now sick due to the trauma he experienced,” he said.
The distraught brother told the City Times that on the day Mziza was found, his last-born child, now aged two, was born.
“We mourned him the whole year because we were still awaiting DNA tests before we could bury him. His body couldn’t even come home. It went straight to the gravesite due to the state it was in.”
He said Mziza was a workshop manager at his logistics company and they were renting premises on Roberts’ plot.
Detective praised for hard work
Det Sgt Moswarisheng Makofane has been praised for cracking three separate cases and substantially linking them to the three suspects.
Speaking to the City Times, Makofane said it was a complicated and traumatic case.
“I am happy to have secured a conviction, but I’m still saddened about the family of the unidentified man who will not find closure because we still don’t know who he is,” said Makofane.
Lumka Mahanjana, spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), said the NPA hoped this sentence will send a strong message that such crimes will not be tolerated.
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