The hit that shocked Polokwane 2: Husband and three hitmen to be sentenced next month    

A bespectacled man in a smart button-downed semi coat worn over a blue shirt displayed a graceful posture as he stood in the Polokwane High Court in Limpopo.

But the posture hid the character of a man who was described by a psychologist as “suicidal” and “a man who wants to remove himself from unbearable situations”.

The man, Stanley Thabo Leshabane (58) was facing challenges in his businesses and in the marriage.

It was laid bare in court through evidence that the challenges he was facing led him to plan the murder of his chartered accountant wife, Makoena Mabusela-Leshabane (46) and her business partner, Tebogo Mphuti (36).

Along with three hitmen, Leshabane has been found guilty of the double murder and is awaiting sentencing on 15-16 August 2024 in the Polokwane High Court.

The other three accused are Ndondo Buthelezi (28), Thembelani Dlamini (33) and Sfiso Phiyose (36). Another accused, Richard Zulu (32) died in custody before the start of trial.

Despite his denial in the killings, Judge Gerrit Muller accepted the evidence of state witnesses which were also backed by electronic evidence such as car tracker, cellphone tower locations, cellphone data analysis, toll-gates passes and CCTV footages.

The wife and her partner were killed at Magna Via industrial area in Polokwane on 10 October 2020. They travelled from Gauteng to Polokwane the previous day with an intention to view a business property.

Little did they know that they were followed by the hitmen hired by Leshabane. They were shot while sitting in a Mercedes-Benz vehicle at the industrial area.