[imagesource:unsplash]
A convicted murderer has been sentenced to life imprisonment by the High Court in Knysna, Western Cape, for the brutal killing of a well-known and beloved local businessman.
Waydon Bezuidenhout, 34, was found guilty on charges of kidnapping, defeating or obstructing the administration of justice, and the murder of Gladman Mawande Kondlo in January 2022.
Kondlo was a well-known figure in Knysna’s tourism industry and the owner of Wanda Tours and Stays. Bezuidenhout was an undertaker at a funeral home and the owner of Cassandra Funerals.
The conviction came after a compelling case presented by State Prosecutor Advocate Lenro Badenhorst, who brought forward a range of witnesses—from police and crime scene experts to GPS and cellphone mapping specialists, as well as the grieving family members of the deceased.
Evidence presented in court revealed that the deceased and Bezuidenhout had been friends for over two years, living just down the same street from one another. In fact, Bezuidenhout had often stayed at the deceased’s bed and breakfast, despite having his own home nearby.
The victim was last seen on the evening of January 15, 2022, alongside Bezuidenhout and three others, including a woman, as they entered a dark sedan.
Two days later, on January 17, his lifeless body was found hidden in the bushes. The grim scene revealed that his hands and legs were bound, a cloth stuffed in his mouth, and a black bag covered his head.
Bezuidenhout was arrested on August 25, 2022. He pleaded not guilty to all charges brought against him and elected not to disclose the basis of his defence.
His arrest came after forensic evidence revealed blood discovered in the boot of an SUV he had rented on the afternoon of January 14, 2022. This vehicle was meant to transport mourners to a funeral conducted by Cassandra Funerals on the morning of January 15, 2022, at The Crags, near Plettenberg Bay.
The vehicle and Bezuidenhout’s cell phone were tracked using a vehicle tracker and cell phone mapping, revealing that he made several visits to the crime scene where the deceased’s body was ultimately discovered.
After the State closed its case, Bezuidenhout filed for an order to testify on camera as he feared for his life and that of his family if the evidence he was to give was provided in an open court. AKA the dude joined a gang:
Bezuidenhout told the court he approached the local drug kingpins for money as he needed to buy a hearse for his business. He met with Alastair Galant, Vusumzi Gungu, Yonele Best, and Khaya Adonis, and it was agreed that he would become involved in their drug distribution network. Bezhuidenhout said it was made clear to him that once he was in, there was no way out.
He asserted that it was common knowledge in Knysna that Gunga was the head of a network that, at its peak, infiltrated the police force, prisons, and the courts.
He revealed that there was a hit out on Kondlo and that the payment had already been received. About three to four weeks before the murder, Bezuidenhout said he, Galant, Gungu and Adonis met at Galant’s flat where he was told he had to do it.
Bezuidenhout told the court he was told that the killing had to take place before the weekend of January 14, 2022, and he accepted the job as he believed he could not reason with the group.
He told them he did not think he would be able to do it, but he might be up to it if he was drunk.
Then a hitman from Gqeberha in the Eastern Cape had been arranged to pull the hit as Bezuidenhout did not have the heart to kill his friend.
On the evening of the murder, the group from Gqeberha were in Kondlo’s B&B, who was apparently pleading with them before being led into a vehicle. Bezuidenhout said he was threatened to leave the crime scene and not tell anyone about the murder.
As far as motive goes, Bezuidenhout implicated himself in the murder but did not provide reasons for the murder except to say Gungu wanted the deceased’s bed and breakfast business.
Bezuidenhout was sentenced to five years of direct imprisonment for kidnapping, life imprisonment for murder, and 12 months of direct imprisonment for defeating or obstructing the administration of justice. The court ordered that the sentences imposed for kidnapping and defeating or obstructing the administration of justice run concurrently with the sentence of life imprisonment.
[source:iol]
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