IVORY PARK MEN FOUND GUILTY OF DUMI MASILELA’S MURDER

Four men from Ivory Park and one from Tembisa have been found guilty for the murder of Rhythm City actor Dumisani Masilela. Dumi Masilela was shot dead five years ago during a failed hijacking.

While delivering the guilty verdict on Friday, Judge Papi Mosopa of the North Gauteng High Court said the five had engaged in an “orgy of criminal activities” after having hijacked another car before attempting to hijack Masilela.

The group had been on a hijacking spree and were travelling in a Toyota Quantum which was hijacked in Mpumalanga, and a Jeep that was stolen that night. They spotted the actor’s Golf 7 in Tembisa while traveling in the hijacked Jeep.

Masilela was shot in the abdomen but managed to drive himself to Tembisa Hospital where he later died.

The accused are Bongani John Masombuka, 34, of Tembisa; Sfundo Harrison Nkosi, 30; Khumbuzo Solomon Mukhuba, 27; Brian Makhubedu, 24 and Mashudu Malema, 31, all from Ivory Park. All were found guilty of Dumi Masilela’s murder despite claims made by four of the accused that Mukhuba was the triggerman.

“Accused 1 (Nkosi), 2 (Masombuka), 4 (Makhubedu) and 5 (Malema) made confession statements but later said to have done so under duress. Despite this, they failed to bring their own witnesses to prove that they were not behind any of the crimes committed even after they took to the stand,” said Judge Mosopa.

They will appear for sentencing proceedings in the North Gauteng High Court on Monday, August 2, exactly five years to the day since the actor’s tragic shooting. Samantha Masilela, the late actor’s mother is expected testify to the court about how her son’s death affected her.