Car dealership murder: Weapon allegedly used in boy's fatal assault still at scene 2 weeks later

• A weapon believed to have been used in the murder of a boy by a De Deur car dealership owner was left at the scene despite the arrest of the alleged killer.
• Sibusiso Maqwaza, 9, and Ryan Ivor, 12, were badly assaulted, allegedly by dealership owner Bilal Ismail.
• Police say when officers combed the scene following the incident, the golf club head was not found.

A weapon alleged to have been used in the assault of two young Gauteng boys at a car dealership in De Deur, resulting in the death of one of them, was still at the scene two weeks after the incident.

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While police went to the scene to investigate after the assault on Sibusiso Maqwaza, 9, and Ryan Ivor, 12, allegedly by dealership owner Bilal Ismail, a golf club head allegedly used in the attack was still there two weeks later when News24 visited the scene.

Ismail, 39 - owner of Raltar Motor Dealer - was arrested for allegedly assaulting the two boys and killing Ryan in the process. Sibusiso was badly injured. Bilal faces charges of murder and attempted murder, and the charge sheet states that a golf club was used in the attack.

The charge sheet stated:

Ismail and his employees allegedly believed that the two boys had helped a gang steal two Toyota Quantum vehicles on the day of the incident. It was believed that the boys were tied up, brutally beaten, and dropped at a dumping site.

When News24 visited the dealership last week, workers who were busy clearing it out after the landlord kicked Bilal out following his arrest, pointed out the golf club head. It was on the ground, and the workers alleged that it was the one used to assault the two boys.

The golf club head that was found in the yard of the car dealership in De Deur. Workers alleged that it had been used to assault Ryan and Sibusiso.

News24 Alfonso Nqunjana, News24

News24 reached out to Gauteng police spokesperson Colonel Dimakatso Sello to find out why the alleged murder weapon was not bagged as evidence.

Sello said:

Bilal appeared in the Vereeniging Magistrate's Court on Friday on charges of murder, attempted murder, and kidnapping. His family members, who were surrounded by armed guards, refused to speak to News24.

He was expected back in court on Wednesday after he requested to change his lawyer.

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