Queba's murderer sentenced today

GEORGE NEWS - The murderer of Tom Queba (47), a pastor and local taxi owner from Parkdene, will be sentenced in the Circuit High Court in George today.

On Tuesday, Judge Roseni Allie found Zanemale Laho (32), a taxi driver from Thembalethu, guilty on all four charges against him: murder, theft of Queba's cellphone, and illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition.

Queba, the chief negotiator for the local taxi industry during the GO GEORGE negotiations, was shot in the head inside his minibus taxi on the N2 highway on 25 May 2014 at 08:45, shortly after he had dropped off passengers at the Garden Route Mall. His cellphone was stolen during the murder.

The stolen phone led police to Laho, who had inserted his SIM card into Queba's phone less than an hour after the shooting.

Judge Allie said the defence was unable to impugn the credibility and reliability of any state witness - all of whom testified consistently and without any exaggeration or embellishment.

She said Laho's evidence was littered with arguments and evasive answers as opposed to providing direct answers and that this "does not augur well for his credibility".

"All the foregoing evidence taken in totality leads to the inescapable conclusion that the accused either directly shot the deceased or was an accomplice to someone who shot the deceased."

Judge Allie said Laho's explanation as to how Queba's phone came to be in his possession is absurd. "The lack of credible evidence corroborating the accused's version together with the inherent contradictions and glaring improbabilities in the defence's case make the accused's version not reasonably possibly true."

Although the state relied on common purpose for the murder count, they did not prove that more than one person committed the murder or that it was committed as a result of a conspiracy, said Judge Allie.

The court earlier heard testimony that there were sectors in the taxi industry that were unhappy with the agreement reached with the Provincial Department of Transport regarding GO GEORGE and that Queba had been threatened on two previous occasions, fearing for his safety. Queba was due to leave for Cape Town on the day of his murder to meet with Provincial Government to finalise the bus company deal the next day, Monday 26 May 2014.

She said the state failed to prove that the murder was premeditated or planned, or that the gun found at Laho's house was in fact the murder weapon.

Yesterday, both the defence and the state prosecutor delivered their sentencing arguments.

Judge Allie was assisted by an assessor, ND Kettledas. The prosecutor is advocate MP Heyns and André Kleynhans appears for Laho.

Zanemale Laho with officials from correctional services who took him down to the court holding cell after he was found guilty of the murder of Tom Queba. Photo: Lizette da Silva

Click here for previous articles:

• Laho skuldig aan Tom Queba-moord

• Queba-verhoor: Uitspraak volgende Dinsdag

• Queba-moord: 'Alles darem te toevallig'

• Opvolg: Tom Queba-moordsaak

• Binneverhoor moet sê oor vuurwapen

• Verdagte se sim glo na moord in Queba se foon

• Queba glo agtervolg op dag van sy dood

• Opvolg: Tom Queba-moordsaak

• Tom Queba-saak môre voortgesit

• Tom Queba-verhoor begin

• Tom Queba-moordeverhoor begin Maandag