Second suspect in Tracy Brown murder case abandons bail application
A suspect linked to the murder of Eastern Cape State Prosecutor Tracy Brown appeared in the Gqberha Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday.
Ayabulela Busakwe, 31, made his first appearance in court.
He appeared alongside his co-accused, Sithembile Xungu, 33, who made his first appearance on August 25.
The suspects face charges of murder, conspiracy to commit murder, unlawful possession of two firearms, and unlawful possession of ammunition.
The 42-year-old prosecutor was gunned down on July 31, 2025, outside her home in front of her partner and minor child.
At the time, police reported four masked suspects involved in the murder.
Busakwe abandoned his bail application; however, his co-accused, Xungu, who previously abandoned his bail will not be bringing a bail application before the court.
The matter was thus postponed to September 10 for Xungu’s bail application.
The suspects remain in custody.
It was also revealed that Busakwe was further linked to a separate case in Kariga, where he first appeared before the Kariega District Court on August 19.
In this matter, he faces charges of extortion and kidnapping relating to the abduction of a 73-year-old woman on August 11.
Busakwe has been charged alongside Andile Mathumbu, 29, who initially appeared on the same charges on August 20.
According to evidence before the court, the woman was snatched outside her Kariega home by armed suspects driving in a Volkswagen Polo. She was forced into a vehicle, and a ransom demand of R1.1 million was made.
The kidnapped woman was released on August 16, near the Kariega police station, and has since been reunited with her family.
Busakwe and Mathumbu abandoned their bail applications in this matter. The case was postponed until October 22, 2025, for further investigation.
The provincial spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), Luxolo Tyali, said it commended the collaborative efforts of law enforcement agencies that led to the recovery of the victim and the swift arrests of the suspects.
robin.francke@iol.co.za
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