Rustenburg – Thirty-three-year-old murder suspect Sibongiseni Ngubane, who is accused of shooting dead businessman Ben Gumbi in front of a coffee shop in Kock Street, Rustenburg, has been denied bail.
The Rustenburg Magistrate’s Court on Thursday refused to grant Ngubane bail and postponed the matter to 9 January 2024 for further investigations.
Ngubane is facing a premeditated murder charge.
Allegations are that earlier this year, in August, businessman Gumbi was accosted by two assailants before he was shot dead in front of Plat? Coffee.
Before the fatal shooting, the businessman and his partner, Jacob Ngakane, started their bid to evict residents who had illegally occupied their 354-hectare piece of land.
The land in Lidig had been reserved to build a R3,2 billion smart city resort in the North West.
Ngakane said Gumbi started getting death threats after the project was announced formally to the community last year.
Ngakane said the threats intensified when the eviction notices were issued.
Gumbi was shot on a Wednesday morning, (23 August 2023).
The police said Ngubane was arrested by members of a multi-disciplinary team on 12 September 2023, in Germiston.
Ngubane was picked up by the police for Gumbi’s murder after he attended a court case in which he was facing a charge of armed robbery.
On that robbery charge, Ngubane had been freed on R3 000 bail.
It was also established that Ngubane has a pending case in Alberton for the illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition.
He was out R1 000 bail for the illegal gun and ammunition charges.
Given the seriousness of the allegations against the accused, the state on Thursday argued strongly against granting him bail after consulting with the investigating officer, Colonel Patric Murungwa.
The state prosecutor, Faith Mogaki, said the state has a strong case against the accused.
In her corroboration, she indicated that the accuseds fingerprints were discovered on the vehicle that was used in the commission of the crime, and further that he was identified by witnesses in an identity parade.
The state said the accused voluntarily pointed out the scene of the crime.
However, Ngubane said he acted involuntarily in pointing out the crime scene after the police beat him up.
The accused told the court that he was hired to drive from Johannesburg to Rustenburg, where the murder took place. Ngubane claimed he was paid R15 000 for the trip.
Magistrate Tshenolo Mekgwe denied Ngubane bail.
The accused will remain behind bars until his next appearance in January next year.
North West NPA Spokesperson Henry Mamothame said police investigations were still underway to track down other suspects.
