A gun-toting trio accused of murdering three people in a horrific shooting at a take-aways in Lotus River have been set free after five state witnesses refused to testify against them.
After a two-year investigation into the triple murder at Bismillah Take-Aways in 2020 which left an innocent worker and two alleged skollies dead, cops say they case fell flat at Wynberg Regional Court last week.
Usiman M’Bwana, 28, along with the two gangsters were killed on 9 September 2020 when the three members of the Dog Pounds gang entered the winkel and opened fire on two members of the Flakkas gang in Lavender Hill.
The duo, aged 33 and 28, ran to the back of the store where M’Bwana was frying slap chips and the gunman shot all three of them in the head.
M’Bwana had worked at the take-aways in Lotus River for several months to earn money for his family in Zimbabwe.
Cops arrested two of the shooters shortly afterwards and launched a manhunt for Gerard “Boere” Daniels.
After evading cops for nearly two years, he was busted in February while hiding out at his girlfriend’s house in Parkwood.
Grassy Park SAPS station commander, Colonel Dawood Laing, says it was frustrating to see the hard work of cops going down the drain.
“The case went to court last week and all five state witnesses were reluctant to testify and the case was withdrawn.
“After two yeas of investigation and the death of an innocent young man, they said they were reluctant and scared despite them positively identifying all three shooters.
“It is very sad because the police did their best and now because of the state witnesses, we have three killers who will just go kill again.”