Johannesburg - Slain billionaire Wandile Bozwana’s murder was a hit but people should refrain from pointing fingers at North West ANC chairman and Premier Supra Mahumapelo.
So said ANC North West secretary Dakota Legoete this morning, issuing a stern warning to fellow party members while he welcomed the arrest of two suspects for Bozwana’s murder.
This followed Thursday’s announcement by the Gauteng provincial task team charged with investigating the murder that two suspects had been arrested in Olievenhoutbosch near Pretoria and Joburg on Wednesday. The alleged killers were found in possession of rounds of 9mm ammunition and a cellphone jammer. “We strongly urge our community to respect the rule of law and not to be in a hurry to pronounce the guilty verdict until the court of law concludes on the matter. As the organisation, we will continue to deal decisively with members who bring the good name of both the organisation and government into disrepute by fabricating accusations against the leadership,” said Legoete.
Bozwana was shot at while travelling with a female colleague on the N1 near the Garsfontein off-ramp on October 2.
The woman sustained two gunshot wounds. Both were admitted to Unitas Hospital, but Bozwana died soon after. At the time of his death, Mahumapelo had lodged an R6 million lawsuit against Bozwana for defamation.
In court papers, he claimed Bozwana had defamed him by saying that he was using government funds to enrich himself. Mahumapelo was also trying to recover more than R30m from Bozwana after he had managed to force the provincial department of public works to pay him the amount for his role in the construction of Brits Hospital. Judgment had been reserved in the Constitutional Court. The high court in Mahikeng had ruled in favour. On Thursday, Legoete applauded the whistle-blowers, saying the party had “confidence in the rule of law and hoped that the matter would be resolved speedily”.
Bozwana’s brother, Benedict, said the family had provided the police with information that had led to the arrest of the alleged killers.
“People approached us and gave us leads. We gave the police that information, which we think assisted in the arrest of the suspects,” he said. “We hear that the suspects had made confessions.”
Police confirmed that more arrests were imminent. Gauteng police spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Lungelo Dlamini would not disclose details of the arrests.
“I cannot reveal the location of the arrests or details about the ammunition because of our ongoing investigation,” he said.
The Star understands that two other suspects fled from the scene of one of the arrests, as police pounced on Wednesday afternoon.
The Star understands that the suspects were part of a group of men who were following Bozwana and his female colleague from Sandton City through to McDonald’s restaurant in Rivonia and later onto the N1, where he was shot and killed. The suspects were to appear in the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court on Friday on charges of murder and attempted murder.
The Star