Polokwane ‘hit’ case delayed again as lawyer arrives late

The Polokwane Magistrate’s Court experienced yet another rocky start to the bail hearing of a man accused of ordering a hit on his businesswoman wife and her colleague.

Thabo Stanley Leshabane, 57, is applying for bail together with four co-accused – John Zulu, 30, Ndondo Buthelezi, 25, Bhekimuzi Phiyose, 34, and Thembelani Dlamini, 30.

Makoena Mabusela-Leshabane and her business partner, Tebogo Mphuti, were shot and killed in October while they were viewing a warehouse.

Leshabane and his four alleged accomplices were arrested two weeks later.

The rocky start was due to the absence of defence attorney, Whitey Moruleng, who is representing the four co-accused.

Magistrate Janine Ungerer asked about his whereabouts.

Both the state prosecutor Chantelle Stevens and defence attorney John Mokgotho, who is representing Leshabane, did not know.

Mokgotho asked for an adjournment to try to establish “the facts”. This was after Ungerer indicated that she had to postpone the hearing.

The court was adjourned for almost two hours before Moruleng arrived.

When the court resumed, Ungerer indicated that there had been “some unforeseen circumstances ” which delayed the start of the hearing.

It emerged that Moruleng experienced “circumstances beyond his control” which delayed his arrival in court.

The bail hearing was postponed to Tuesday, 8 December 2020.

On Thursday, the hearing had to be postponed due to the absence of an Afrikaans interpreter.

A member of the investigating team, Warrant Officer Kotze, was supposed to testify for the state when a matter of language preference arose.

The state is opposing bail.

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