[imagesource: Anthony Molyneaux]

In October 2018, advocate Pete Mihalik was gunned down outside Reddam House in Green Point while dropping off his eight-year-old son at school.

Immediately, attention turned to the cases he was involved in, with many believing the murder may have been connected to the trial of alleged extortion syndicate boss Nafiz Modack.

His father believed, at the time, that the murder was about money, and police took three men into custody in the days that followed.

Over time, further details have emerged linking those three men to Mihalik’s murder and on Thursday, the trial will finally start.

Two alleged taxi industry hitmen from KwaZulu-Natal, Sizwe Biyela and Nkosinathi Khumalo, as well as taxi owner Vuyile Maliti, are being charged with murder, attempted murder, and the illegal possession of a firearm.

Proceedings were pushed back from Tuesday because Biyela’s lawyer was not present.

#PeteMihalik Proceedings are brief today. The lawyer for accused 1 is not available. The matter is postponed to Thursday, 19 May. SF

— EWN Reporter (@ewnreporter) May 17, 2022

One of the reasons the trial has taken so long to kick off is the fact that legal representation for the accused was hard to come by. A lawyer based in Gauteng who had been representing one of the accused was told he would be killed if he came to Cape Town, and others in the legal fraternity have steered clear.

According to The Daily Maverick, here are the reasons the State argues the murder was a planned hit:

1. Vuyile Maliti, on 29 October 2018, is alleged to have rented a VW Polo which was seen at the crime scene the day before as well as on the morning of the murder. Tracker reports used by the State in a bail application by the accused in June 2019 support this.
2. A silver Renault was also seen at the crime scene on the morning of the shooting.
3. Security camera footage shows Biyela shooting Mihalik in the head.
4. Minutes after the shooting, the two vehicles were stopped by traffic officer Boy Makutu in Green Point. He issued a fine to Maliti, the driver of the VW Polo.
5. Nkosinathi Khumalo, the driver of the Renault, was taken to Sea Point police station by Makutu where he was placed under arrest and had his cellphone seized.
6. Biyela was arrested by Charl Kinnear on the day of the shooting at a bus depot in Bellville as he was about to leave the Western Cape.
7. Evidence from Biyela and Khumalo’s cellphones suggest that Maliti hired them from KZN to execute the hit.

Seems pretty clearcut when you put it like that.

There’s also the fact that Maliti later sold 11 Krugerrands in Kenilworth, earning around R200 000, which the State will argue was “partial payment”.

It remains to be seen how the accused will plead.

[source:dailymaverick]