A Mitchells Plain magistrate has been found guilty of the murder of road rage victim Bongani Pendula by the Cape High Court.
A Mitchells Plain magistrate has been found guilty of the murder of road rage victim Bongani Pendula by the Cape High Court.
Seeming shocked at the outcome of the drawn-out case, Sithibele Elvis Tebe was even more shocked when judge Anton Veldhuizen refused to extend his bail.
Despite the plea by defence counsel Allan Boswell that Tebe would not flee, the extended bail was refused pending the outcome of sentencing which started on Thursday, the reported.
Prosecutor Karine Teunissen argued that, having been convicted, Tebe should again show – as he had had to do after his arrest – that it was in the interests of justice to release him on bail.
However, she asked the judge to order that Tebe be detained in the newly built Goodwood prison, rather than Pollsmoor prison, as a measure of compassion.
Tebe’s case arose from a collision in Khayelitsha in November 2002, when Pendula broadsided Tebe’s car at a T-junction and then sped away. Tebe gave chase and fired two shots at Pendula at close range in the ensuing confrontation.
The judge described Tebe as an “unimpressive witness” and said Tebe had lied at least twice to the court.
The first time was when he tried to convince the court that he had sustained an abrasion on the left side of his face from the incident and the second time when he testified that he had fired only one shot at Pendula. The evidence confirmed that two shots had been fired.
The hearing continued on Thursday with evidence in mitigation of sentence, and is expected to end on Tuesday next week.
