The trial of three people accused of murdering Avhatakali Netshisaulu, the son of City Press editor Mathatha Tsedu, has been postponed until Tuesday.
Netshisaulu’s widow, Mulalo Sivhidzo, and two others, Nthambudzeni Matzhenene (29) and Sello Johannes Arnold (28), will go on trial in the Johannesburg High Court.
The state alleges that Sivhidzo arranged with Matzhenene to hire men to kill her husband, and that they agreed to kill him on December 7 2006. She allegedly promised to pay Matzhenene R4 000 for his assistance.
Matzhenene and Netshisaulu were involved in a joint venture of setting up payphones at Zandspruit, near Honeydew.
On December 7 2006, Sivhidzo drove to meet Matzhenene in the car her husband would be using later in the evening. The hit men allegedly took note of the car registration number during Sivhidzo’s trip and waited for Netshisaulu.
Netshisaulu went to meet Matzhenene at a filling station in Zandspruit regarding their payphone business. When Matzhenene failed to arrive, Netshisaulu left, with the hit men following him in a Toyota Venture.
They forced him off the road in Nooitgedacht near Krugersdorp. He was assaulted with bricks, tied up and bundled into the boot of his car, which was later doused with petrol and set alight.
The state further alleges that during the assault Netshisaulu was robbed of his cellphone, wallet, bank cards, groceries and money.
More than 50 witnesses, including a 10-year-old child, are expected to testify against the accused. — Sapa