The men who murdered top Cape Town criminal lawyer, advocate Pete Mihalik have been sentenced in the Western Cape High Court to life imprisonment on Thursday.
Mihalik, 50, was shot dead on October 30, 2018, as he was taking his two children to school in Green Point.
Sizwe Biyela, 31, Nkosinathi Khumalo, 28, and Vuyile Maliti, 40, were found guilty of Mihalik’s murder, two counts of attempted murder of his two children, and unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition last week.
Mihalik represented key figures in the underworld.
On the day of the incident, two men approached Mihalik’s black Mercedes-Benz outside Reddam House and fired three shots through the driver’s window.
The court heard Biyela had been dropped off along Thornhill and Cavalcade Roads in Green Point by his co-accused minutes before Mihalik arrived at the scene.
Biyela approached Mihalik’s vehicle on foot and shot him.
Mihalik was declared dead at the scene, and it was revealed in court that he died of a single gunshot wound to his head.
His son, who was eight at the time, sustained a gunshot wound to his jaw. His then-17-year-old daughter, seated in the back of the vehicle, was not injured during the shooting.
The court also heard the killers were paid in Kruger coins for Mihalik’s assassination.
The Kruger coins were valued at R200,000.
Judge Noluthando Nziweni sentenced the men to life imprisonment for the murder.
For the two counts of attempted murder, they were sentenced to 10 years imprisonment each and seven years imprisonment for unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition.
Western Cape Police Commissioner, Lieutenant General Thembisile Patekile, welcomed the sentencing and commended the investigating officer, Detective Warrant Officer John Bruce van Staden, the State Prosecutor advocate Gregory Wolmarans, and all other role-players for their excellent collaboration and their meticulous handling of the case.