Rustenburg – The Rustenburg Magistrate’s Court has adjourned the case against 30-year-old Thabani Gwala, who appeared Tuesday, in connection with the murder of businessman Ben Gumbi.
Gwala, who was arrested in Johannesburg on 16 November 2023, had been scheduled to make a formal bail application, but he opted to abandon it.
The accused will remain in custody – meaning he will spend Christmas behind bars.
His matter will resume in court on 9 January 2024.
The first accused, 33-year-old Sibongiseni Ngubane was denied bail after the state successfully opposed it, and his case was also postponed to 9 January 2024.
Ngubane also is facing a premeditated murder charge for the death of Ben Gumbi.
Ngubane was arrested on 12 September 2023, in Germiston, after attending a separate court case in which he was facing a charge of armed robbery.
The accused was out on R3 000 bail on that matter.
Ngubane also has a pending case in Alberton related to the illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition.
The accused had been granted bail of R1 000 on that matter. Police records show that 49-year-old Gumbi was gunned down by two males outside a restaurant in the Rustenburg Central Business District on a Wednesday morning, on 23 August 2023.
National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) North West Spokesperson Henry Mamothame said the suspects fled the scene in a blue VW Polo car, found a few minutes after the incident.
The VW Polo was later found abandoned at the corner of Helen Joseph and Lourie Streets.
It was established that the VW Polo had been stolen and fitted with false registration number plates.
Meanwhile, police investigations are still underway to track down other suspects believed to be on the run, NPA spokesperson Mamothame said.
