Durban - Two alleged hit men were remanded in custody by the Madadeni Magistrate’s Court on Monday.
The two, who cannot be named until they plead, were arrested in Johannesburg last week in connection with the murder of Wandile Ngubeni in May.
A source from the Hawks said the men, both from KwaZulu-Natal, were in hiding in Johannesburg after the murder of Ngubeni.
“This is what these hit men do. They get paid to kill and escape and hide in Johannesburg. They lie low until they are needed again. When they reappear, they leave dead bodies and vanish back into hiding again.
“What makes things difficult is when these suspects appear in court they have strong legal support, which is something suspicious.
“Hence the need to get to whoever is behind the murders. If we can’t get the funders for the killings, we will never put an end to hired guns,” said the source, who asked to remain anonymous.
Ngubeni, the ANC Youth League (ANCYL) Emalahleni Regional deputy chairman at the time of his death, was gunned down in a suspected hit on the region’s league leadership.
Ngubeni and the region’s secretary, Mafika Mndebele, were in the company of their comrades when two men opened fire, killing Ngubeni and critically wounding Mndebele.
After the incident, a source told the Daily News there were allegedly squabbles for leadership in Madadeni, Newcastle, where the shooting took place.
He said Ngubeni had played a pivotal role in assisting leadership to “bring the bad apples to book”.
“He was never scared to provide information against those who sought to destroy the league, the regional leadership and the mother body (ANC),” the source said at the time.
Hawks provincial spokesman, Simphiwe Mhlongo, said the suspects, both aged 32, were charged with murder and attempted murder.
“The case was postponed to Thursday for a formal bail application,” said Mhlongo.
Daily News