Rhythm City actor Dumisani Masilela’s murder trial delayed again

The men accused of murdering Rhythm City actor Dumisani Masilela were back in court yesterday. Picture: Zelda Venter

The men accused of murdering Rhythm City actor Dumisani Masilela were back in court yesterday. Picture: Zelda Venter

Published Jun 1, 2021

Share

Pretoria - The trial of five men accused of murdering Rhythm City actor Dumisani Masilela has been postponed for a week as one of the legal representatives was unable to attend court yesterday.

Gauteng High Court, Pretoria Judge Papi Mosopa expressed concern that the trial was dragging on. He noted that the accused had been in custody since 2015, saying long delays were unfair.

The judge wanted the proceedings to continue this week, but prosecutor Josie van der Westhuizen said one of the lawyers was also involved in another trial proceeding this week.

Sfundo Harrison Nkosi, 30, Bongani John Masombuka, 34, Khumbuzo Solomon Mukhuba, 27, Brian Makhubedu, 24, and Mashudu Malema, 31, have all pleaded not guilty to 11 charges ranging from murder to robbery, and kidnapping.The Masilela killing only forms one aspect of the trial.

The accused have disputed the admissibility of confessions they claim police had forced them to make. In his “confession”, Nkosi said the plan was never to hijack or kill the actor.

He said they were on a hijacking spree around the time Masilela was killed in June 2017. One of his co-accused acted of his own accord when he shot the actor during a botched hijacking, he said. Masilela, 29, an actor and soccer player, was gunned down during an attempted hijacking. He managed to drive himself to hospital, where he had surgery. However, he died later that day.

Pretoria News