Hard knock life: Bozwana murder trial hears family circumstances of killers

Two taximen convicted for the murder of businessman Wandile Bozwana overcame poverty to become breadwinners, but now their families are suffering financial hardship due to their incarceration.

This is according to a report commissioned by the defence from a social worker who is testifying in mitigation of sentence in the Pretoria high court.

Bonginkosi Paul Khumalo and Sipho Patrick Hudla, both in their 40s, were found guilty in June last year with controversial taxi boss Vusi “Khekhe” Mathibela and Matamela Robert Mutapa. Bozwana, a North West businessman, was shot dead on the Garsfontein off-ramp in Tshwane in October 2015.

The four men were also convicted of attempting to murder his business partner Mpho Baloyi.

The social worker, who may not be identified as per a court order, interviewed the accused, family members and other sources for the probation reports.

Khumalo was born and raised in Nquthu, a small rural town in KwaZulu-Natal. The family was poor. Both parents died in 2014. After completing matric, he could not obtain work and did many things to ensure an income. Among these was starting his own tuck shop, which he ran for almost four years, and working as a taxi driver until he was able to purchase the first of his own taxis. At the time of his arrest he had three or four taxis.

A cousin is assisting with the business. “It is alleged only two taxis are roadworthy and the business is slowly falling apart as the accused is not there to manage it. One taxi was stolen in 2021 and has not been recovered,” she said.

He was arrested in 2016 and detained at Kgosi Mampuru Prison. He was moved to the high-security C-Max section after his conviction. This, he told the social worker, has mentally and emotionally destroyed him.

He has been with his lifelong partner for almost 15 years. She told the social worker their children have been severely affected and the older child was taken out of school as she couldn't afford to keep him in school.

Hudla was born in Ladysmith, where he was raised and grew as a young child. His father died in 1988 when he was six years old. His mother, now a pensioner, raised him and three siblings.

According to the report, he left school in grade 8 as there was no money for further education. He sold sweets and other things from his home and later secured additional income as a hawker at a taxi rank.

Hudla became a taxi marshall before buying a second-hand taxi.

He was arrested in 2015. He was also moved to C-Max after the conviction.

Hudla had nine children born from different relationships but three of the children have died.

The social worker also prepared reports for the other accused.

On Wednesday, she was reluctant to make a recommendation on sentence, saying this was the jurisdiction of the court and not in her purvey.

On Thursday, prosecutor Jennifer Cronje probed the social worker whether, in light of the seriousness of the crime, the accused were a danger to society and whether they should be removed from society.

After some deliberation, she responded: “For purposes of punishment, they should be removed from society.”

The case continues on Friday.

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