The three men accused of the murder of Lerato Tefo, who was gunned down in broad daylight at the intersection of Ontdekkers Road and Corlett Avenue, were denied bail in the Roodepoort Magistrate’s Court on January 2.

Tefo (36) was shot point-blank through the window of her Kia Rio while seated in traffic on December 8.

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The accused — Sinqobile Xaba (36), Lindani Sithole (31), and Zakhele Ngema (23) — are alleged to have carried out a murder-for-hire plot together with an unknown accomplice.

During proceedings, statements from Xaba and Sithole were read out by their legal representative. Both men denied any knowledge of or involvement in the crime and stated that they did not know Tefo.

They further claimed to have alibis accounting for their whereabouts on the day of the shooting.

A confession statement attributed to Ngema and read out by the prosecutor provided further detail on the alleged sequence of events.

According to the statement, Xaba and another man arrived at the home Ngema shares with his girlfriend, asking him to drive them to collect a friend. The group travelled in Ngema’s white VW Polo, which he uses for e-hailing work, and made several stops before later picking up Sithole.

They subsequently began following Tefo’s vehicle.

When Tefo came to a stop in traffic on Corlett Avenue, the unknown man allegedly exited the Polo, approached her car, and fired four shots through the closed window before returning to the vehicle. The group then sped away. Ngema further claimed he was threatened with death by the other men and the shooter if he did not comply.

Following the reading of the confession, the defence informed the court that the same legal representative would now act for all three accused, and alleged that the confession had been signed under police coercion.

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Magistrate Van Niekerk noted that identity parades and other investigative processes were still outstanding and briefly adjourned the matter while the State attempted — unsuccessfully — to contact the investigating officer.

When court resumed, the magistrate gave the accused the option of postponing the bail hearing until all evidence had been submitted or proceeding on the basis of the information currently before the court. The accused elected to proceed immediately.

Their bail applications were subsequently denied. Van Niekerk added that any application to rescind Ngema’s confession will be addressed during trial proceedings.

The accused will remain in custody at the Krugersdorp Correctional Centre until their next court appearance on January 26.