The details surrounding the murder of Riaan Kohl, who was shot dead while escorting a furniture delivery truck to Motherwell, have finally been revealed by the man standing trial for the murder.
In a confession statement given to police after his arrest, since ruled admissible by the Gqeberha high court following a trial-within-a-trial, Usisipho Zozi set out the events which led to Kohl’s June 10 2019 murder.
In the statement, Zozi admitted that on the day of the shooting he and a friend, identified only as Luyanada, had been in Dora Street, New Brighton, when they noticed the furniture delivery truck.
Zozi claimed that, on spotting the gold BMW driven by Kohl, who had been providing the delivery team with protection, his friend had suggested they approach the vehicle where they would probably be able to rob the driver of his firearm.
“Luyanada just shot at the driver and I followed him,” Zozi said in his statement at the time.
After the shooting, Zozi claimed, they had run away with Kohl’s firearm while another group hijacked the truck.
He claimed he had received no financial gain from the incident and was unsure what his friend had done with the stolen firearm.
At the start of the trial, Zozi, 26, pleaded not guilty to four counts of murder, including that of Kohl, kidnapping, contravening the Prevention of Organised Crime Act, breaching his bail conditions, robbery with aggravating circumstances and housebreaking.
He pleaded guilty to the illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition.
Apart from the confession statement regarding Kohl’s murder, Zozi made no other submissions in relation to the other murders he is accused of.
It is alleged Zozi acted in common purpose with other individuals unknown to the state in at least three incidents in the New Brighton area between March 2019 and July 2020.
According to the state, Zozi was linked to the March 10 2019 murder of Luyolo Mgabile, whose bullet-riddled body was found at a property in Dora Street.
Three days later, on March 13, police patrolling in Deal Party were flagged down by a community member who had allegedly been robbed by Zozi.
Police gave chase and saw Zozi allegedly place a 9mm parabellum firearm on the perimeter wall of a business in Hayward Street and apprehended him.
He pleaded guilty to those charges.
Then, on April 14 2019, Zozi was allegedly involved in the murder of Sangweni Mabusela, whose body was found with several gunshot wounds in his white VW CitiGolf.
Zozi’s fingerprints were allegedly found on the outside of the vehicle.
More than a year later, on July 19 2020, Zozi and other unknown people allegedly broke into a house in Gqamlana Street, New Brighton.
It is alleged Zozi entered the bedroom of Xolani Mkina and shot him.
He faces a slew of other charges in an unrelated case where he, Tango Nqini, 40, and Lonwabo Neti, 35, are accused of orchestrating four hit murders between January and March 2019.
The case continues.
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