South Africa

Three convicted for reggae star murder

Article published on the 2009-04-01 Latest update 2009-04-01 16:25 TU

Lucky Dube performs at a concert in Lagos, Nigeria
(Photo: Reuters)

Three men were found guilty on Tuesday of murdering South African reggae star Lucky Dube. The award-winning artist was gunned down during a hijacking in 2007 while he was dropping his teenage son at a relative’s house.

Sifiso Mhlanga, Mbuti Mabe and Julius Gxowa heard their conviction for murder at the High Court of Johannesburg.

The musician was one of the first reggae artists in South Africa and recorded more than 20 albums. He won several awards, including recognition at the World Music Awards and WOMAD. Sentence hearings for his killers begin on Wednesday.

Two of the three accused made a failed escape bid on Tuesday morning, clubbing a policeman in the head with a brick. Mhlanga and Mabe appeared in court with dressed head wounds they received during the attempt to flee. The pair received additional charges as a result.

Mhlanga, Mabe and Gxowa were also found guilty of hijacking a car two days after killing Dube.

South Africa has one of the highest murder rates in the world.