Picture: One of the accused persons shooting Ben Gumbi outside a restaurant in Rustenburg/Twitter
By OBAKENG MAJE
One of the accused persons in the murder of North West prominent businessman Ben Gumbi has been remanded in custody. Thabani Gwala (30), briefly appeared at the Rustenburg Magistrate’s Court today after he was arrested in Hillbrow, Gauteng Province on Thursday last week.
His case was postponed to 4 December 2023 for a formal bail application.
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) regional spokesperson, Henry Mamothame said, Gwala was arrested following a collaborative effort of a multi-disciplinary team, consisting of Hillbrow Tactical Response Team (TRT), Rustenburg Crime Intelligence, and Rustenburg Detectives.
“The first accused, Sibongiseni Ngubane (33), was denied bail after the state successfully opposed it. His case was postponed to 9 January 2024 for further investigations. Ngubane also is facing a premeditated murder charge for the death of Gumbi.
“According to the police, Ngubane was also arrested by members of a multi-disciplinary team, which was established after the ruthless murder of Gumbi. He was arrested in Germiston, Gauteng Province on 12 September 2023 after attending a court case in which he is facing a charge of armed robbery, wherein he is out on R3000 bail,” he said.
Mamothame further said Ngubane also has a pending case of possession of a firearm and ammunition in Alberton, wherein he was granted R1000 bail. He added that Gumbi was gunned down by two men outside a restaurant in the Rustenburg Central Business District (CBD) on 23 August 2023.
“The suspects then fled the scene with a blue Volkswagen Polo car, which was found abandoned at the corner of Helen Joseph and Lourie Streets a few minutes after the incident. The vehicle was confirmed to have been stolen and the number plates that were on it were false,” said Mamothame.
Meanwhile, police investigations are still underway to track down other suspects believed to be on the run.
The Guardian 