Johannesburg - Three men accused of murdering German supercar specialist Uwe Gemballa have been found guilty of the crime by the high court sitting in Palm Ridge.
Thabo Mohapi, Thabiso Ledwaba and Galland Holworthy stood trial for the kidnapping and murder of Gemballa, who went missing from OR Tambo International Airport in 2010.
“In light of all the evidence and in conclusion - you are convicted of the crimes of kidnapping, murder and theft as charged,” Judge George Maluleke told the three on Wednesday.
A fourth accused, Thabiso Mpye, had previously been sentenced to 20 years in prison after confessing to the crime.
Gemballa flew to South Africa in February 2010, allegedly to negotiate opening a new branch of his business here, but went missing from the airport.
The funding for the business was allegedly set to come from notorious Czech businessman Radovan Krejcir and slain Teazers owner Lolly Jackson, who was murdered in 2010.
Gemballa was held at a home in Edenvale for days before his killers duct-taped his head and then sat on his chest until he suffocated.
His body was wrapped in a black plastic sheet and buried in a shallow grave, where it was found several months later.
The men also stole a laptop, iPod, wallet and clothing from Gemballa.
Judge Maluleke said all the circumstantial evidence -namely, cellphone information and CCTV footage - linked the three men to the crime.
“The established facts are that the accused all arrived at the airport. Accused number three (Holworthy) is the person who met the deceased and walked away with him, and after this the deceased was never seen alive again,” the judge said as he summed up the evidence.
“The cellphone data placed all of them at the graveyard where the deceased was buried - at very awkward hours, when people don’t attend funerals. It was almost 11 o’clock at night. The inference is that the accused, together with Mpye, kidnapped Gemballa from the airport, took him to Edenvale, killed him or had him killed, and then buried him in a shallow grave.”
During proceedings, the three men stared straight ahead of them in the dock. Correctional Services officials, four of whom were heavily armed, were seated in the public gallery.
Before proceedings started, Mohapi threw a loud tantrum when Correctional Service officials refused to let him speak to his family members in the public gallery. He is already serving a 20-year sentence for a previous crime.
Sentencing proceedings are expected to get under way on November 30.
@Gabi_Falanga
The Star
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