Husband accused of ordering hit on wife denies confessing

The man accused of orchestrating the murder of his businesswoman wife and her colleague has claimed he does not remember confessing to the killings.

Thabo Stanley Leshabane, who stands accused of ordering a hit on his wife Makoena Mabusela-Leshabane and her colleague Tebogo Mphuti, took the witness stand at Limpopo High Court in Polokwane to give his own version of events on Wednesday.

Leshabane and his co-accused, Ndondo Buthelezi, Bheki Phiyose, and Thembelani Dlamini are currently on trial for the double murder.

One of the suspects, John Zulu, reportedly died while in custody in 2023.

Husband denies ordering hit

During the trial proceedings, Leshabane refuted being the mastermind behind the murders, despite having given a confession statement detailing the planned killings at the time of his arrest in November 2020.

The accused admitted that the signature on the statement was indeed his, but he maintained that he does not recall confessing to the murder of his wife.

“At the time of the statement, I was not in a good state having lost my wife and the stress I went through having been hospitalised and unknowingly thrown into jail,” he testified.

Leshabane stated that he couldn’t have provided the hitmen with his wife’s location.

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“One could have stated that my wife going to sleep at Ga-Sebotsi instead of what is stated [in the statement]. But I don’t really recall actually where that came from, my Lord. I can’t remember,” the suspect further said.

Buthelezi, the alleged shooter, also testified during the trial, denying any involvement in the murders. He asserted that he was at home in Katlehong, Gauteng, on the day in question.

”I used to work at night and came home the following morning. From around 7am, I went straight to bed and woke in the afternoon around 2pm,” the accused told the court.

Meanwhile, Dlamini contended that he had never been to Polokwane before his arrest.

According to Capricorn FM, a judgment in the trial will be handed down on 26 July following the conclusion of the defence’s closing arguments.

[EXCLUSIVE] #DoubleMurder I spoke to Stanley Leshabane ahead of his trial in Polokwane. He’s accused of orchestrating a hit on his wife and her friend. They were killed execution style in October 2020.

Catch the full interview on @eNCA DSTV 403 pic.twitter.com/onnkff7W2u

— Silindelo Masikane (@Sli_Masikane) April 4, 2022

The accused remain in custody. They were all denied bail in the Polokwane Magistrate’s Court in 2021.

Mabusela-Leshabane and Mphuti were killed in Magna Via on 10 October 2020.

It was revealed during bail application that Leshabane had admitted to the crime and had attempted to commit suicide shortly after the incident.

Limpopo murder suspect on the run

Police in Limpopo have launched a manhunt after a suspect allegedly stabbed his wife to death.

The husband killed the 45-year-old victim at their house in Sengatane village, Seshego in the early hours of Wednesday, 5 June.

“It is alleged that the victim and her husband had heated argument, and apparently, the husband stabbed her wife with a sharp object on her upper body during the incident and thereafter fled the scene.

“The police and emergency medical services were alerted and the victim was certified dead on their arrival at the scene,” Limpopo police spokesperson, Malesela Ledwaba said in a statement.

A case of murder has since been registered.

“Massive manhunt to track down the suspect is underway,” Ledwaba added.

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