The murder trial of top Cape Town Advocate Pete Mihalik has been transferred to the Western Cape High Court on Tuesday.
Mihalik, a well-known lawyer for underworld figures, was shot and killed while dropping his two children off at their school, Reddam House, in Green Point on 30 October last year.
Murder suspects Sizwe Biyela, Nkosinathi Khumalo and Vuyile Maliti appeared in the Cape Town Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday where the matter was transferred for a pre-trial conference at the High Court on 29 November.
The State has listed 26 witnesses in what is believed to be a suspected hit on Mihalik.
Charges against the accused include murder, two counts of attempted murder and the possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition.
Magistrate Greg Jacobs denied the three bail after finding that the crime was ‘well-planned’.
The attempted murder charges relate to Mihalik’s two children.
His eight-year-old son was wounded and hospitalised.
The State aims to prove that Biyela and Khumalo were brought from KwaZulu-Natal to carry out the hit, allegedly under the instruction of Maliti.
Khumalo was arrested less than an hour after Mihalik was killed after a traffic officer pulled over the Renault Clio he was driving for ignoring a stop sign.
Mihalik had a high profile client list, including property mogul Jason Rohde, who was found guilty of the murder of his wife, Susan, and alleged kingpin Nafiz Modack, who is currently on trial for extortion.