Johannesburg,South Africa

On Friday,the Limpopo High Court has sentenced Thabo Leshabane and his hitmen to life imprisonment for murdering his wife and her business partner in October 2020 in Polokwane.

These men sentenced after four years of committing gruesome murder of two Johannesburg businesswomen who were assassinated while were busy looking business premises in Polokwane.

According to South African Police Service(SAPS),Thabo Leshabane(62),Ndondo Buthelezi(32),Thembelani Dhlamini(37),and Sfiso Phiyose(40) each received two life sentences for their roles in the murders of Makoena Mabusela Leshabane(46) and Tebogo Mphuthi(34).

And Ndondo Buthelezi received an additional three-year sentence for possession of unlicensed firearms and ammunition.One suspect,Richard Zulu,died in custody.

Police said on October 10,2020,the victims,Chartered Accountant Makoena Mabusela-Leshabane and her business partner Tebogo Mphuthi were shot dead while sitting in a Mercedes-Benz in the Polokwane industrial area by hitmen hired by Makoena's husband,Thabo Leshabane.

The two cases of murder were opened at Polokwane Police Station and then transferred to the Provincial Track Team.

A swift police investigation led to the arrest of five suspects,including the husband of the deceased,Stanley Thabo Leshabane on 21 October 2020.

Through police investigation some of the accused confessed that Leshabane hired hitmen to assassinate his wife because they had marital problems and his wife was seeking a divorce.

"During the trial,the state-led evidence of several witnesses,two of whom told the court how they observed three African men approaching the Mercedes-Benz and firing several shots at the women.A fourth male person remained in a maroon Hyundai vehicle,which was used as a getaway car by the accused.

The State was able to prove its case as they had overwhelming evidence that implicated the accused.The accused Mr Leshabane and his co-accused also made confessions.The evidence further revealed that the motive for the killing was marital issues and expressed desire by Makoena to the end the marriage.This resulted in Leshabane arranging a hit,"said police.

The Limpopo High Court Judge Gerrit Muller was happy with the evidence that was submitted and proved without any reasonable doubt that both accused were guilty of two counts of murder.

The Provincial Commissioner of SAPS in Limpopo,Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe has commended the detectives team led by Lieutenant Colonel Richard Boshomane for demonstrating in many ways their meticulous investigation skills by solving a number of complex and sensational cases,thus ensuring families find closure as perpetrators are permanently incarcerated.