- Five men were found guilty of murdering Rhythm City actor, Dumisani Masilela.
- Masilela was shot during a hijacking in Tembisa in 2017.
- During sentencing proceedings, two of the men convicted of the murder maintained their innocence.
Two of the men convicted of murdering Rhythm City actor, Dumisani Masilela, have refused to show remorse, maintaining their innocence.
Bongani Masombuka, 34, Sfundo Nkosi, 30, Khumbudzo Mukhuba, 27, Brian Makhubedu, 24, and Mashudu Malema, 31, appeared in the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria on Monday for sentencing proceedings.
Last week, the five men were found guilty of murdering Masilela in August 2017 in Tembisa.
While testifying in mitigation, the man who was found to have pulled the trigger, Mukhuba, doubled downed on his claims of innocence.
"I did not kill their son," Mukhuba told the court, despite the evidence that had been led against him.
Judge Mokhine Mosopa reminded Mukhuba that all four of his co-accused had testified he was the gunman - and that an eyewitness to the shooting had also pointed to him as the shooter during an identity parade.
"I already informed the court that I was not present when the crime took place,” Mukhuba retorted.
He added that he did not know why his co-accused had lied about him being involved. "I don't even know the other accused."
Mukhuba also said the magistrate's court had initially withdrawn the charges against him on merit.
However, he could not account for how he was still prosecuted in the high court.
Nkosi also maintained his innocence, but appeared to contradict himself because he apologised to the family for what he had done.
Nokosi told the court:
"To the family and friends of Dumisani, I am asking for forgiveness," he later said.
Nkosi also told the court that he did not understand why he was found guilty of murder.
All the accused were found guilty on the murder charge as they had acted in common purpose.
The high court found that the five accused had hijacked another vehicle on the day and were attempting to hijack Masilela when he was shot in the stomach.
News24 previously reported that, after being shot once, Masilela managed to drive himself to hospital, where he underwent surgery.
He died later that day as a result of his injuries.
The sentencing proceedings continue.