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One of the men arrested in connection with the murder of North West businessman Wandile Bozwana could be a hit man who’s been operating in the province for years.
A municipal employee from Vryburg, who was in court when the two men arrested for Bozwana’s murder made their first appearance, said he recognised one of the suspects as the man who shot him in 2008.
The alleged victim, who asked not to be named for fear of his safety, now wants the police to reopen his case.
“I was sitting in court when I realised that one of the suspects kept on turning his head to look at me. I looked at him closely and the past flooded my mind. There he was – the man who shot at me was sitting there as a suspect in another shooting incident,” he said.
“I remembered his face well because, that evening in 2008, two men came into my house pretending their car wouldn’t start; they wanted to borrow jumper cables. My friend and I later decided to go somewhere, and the very same men were standing at the corner not far from their vehicle – and suddenly opened fire on us when we walked past.”
The shooting, which took place in Huhudi township outside Vryburg, was at the time related to factional battles within the municipality.
No arrests were made in the case.
City Press also understands that more people will be arrested in connection with Bozwana’s murder, including a senior government official.
Bozwana was murdered in October when a vehicle driven by a female companion was ambushed on the N1 Garsfontein off-ramp in Pretoria. A BMW M3 pulled up next to the car and a man jumped out and started shooting, hitting the businessman. The assailant then jumped back into his car and sped off. Bozwana was hit by at least nine bullets, while his companion was hit by two. She survived the attack.
The North West Business Forum, which supported Bozwana in his conflict with the provincial government and offered a R2 million reward for the capture of his killers, believes more hits are being planned against its members.
Forum secretary Sello Mogodiri said: “We are aware of the existence of a hit list and call on our members, especially our outspoken leaders, to be extremely cautious and increase their personal security. There is big money at play here.”
The forum has in recent months raised concerns and strongly criticised the provincial government and Premier Supra Mahumapelo in particular for favouritism in the awarding of government contracts.
Bozwana amassed his wealth from lucrative government tenders and had a huge property portfolio, including office complexes and residential estates in North West and the Northern Cape.
The two men, aged 30 and 40, made their first appearance in the Pretoria Magistrates’ Court on Friday.
The court ordered that the pair not be named, as this could jeopardise the investigation. The court heard that one of the suspects had a previous conviction for possession of an unlicensed firearm. The case was postponed to next month.
Police said the two men were found in possession of a suspected stolen vehicle as well as semiautomatic and automatic rifles.
Mogodiri and others believe a hit was ordered on Bozwana in a bid to silence him because he spoke out openly against corruption and the blacklisting of some companies by the provincial government.
Gauteng police spokesperson Colonel Lungelo Dlamini said they were hoping to arrest more people in connection with the case. City Press understands that one of the arrested men has confessed to playing a part in Bozwana’s murder.
Mogodiri said they were hoping that those who “funded this hit” would also be arrested.
“We reiterate our earlier view that there is a big fish involved in the murder plot.
“The confession by the two arrested suspects inspires hope that the net will close in on all those who are involved,” he said.
“We are confident that more arrests will be made, including that of the mastermind.”
