Edwin Sodi’s attempted murder case ends without prosecution

The attempted murder case featuring businessman Edwin Sodi has been struck off the role.

The prosecution argued for the continuation of the case; however, the magistrate decided to remove the matter from the roll.

“The court took into consideration that both complainants were absent in court and that one of them had filed a withdrawal statement,” confirmed Gauteng NPA spokesperson Phindi Mjonondwane.

“The second complainant indicated that he no longer wished to proceed with the case, subsequently the defence argued that the case be struck off the roll, which was granted by the court,” Mjonondwane explained.

Gunshots in Bryanston

Sodi told members of the media at the Randburg Magistrate’s Court on Thursday that he was “relieved” after three years worth of court appearances.

Sodi was charged with attempted murder, assault with intent to commit grievous bodily harm (GBH), and pointing of a firearm following an incident in Bryanston in 2022.

The businessman was released on R150 000 bail after being accused of discharging a firearm several times in the presence of his estranged wife and a friend.

At the time of his arrest, a senior prosecutor at Randburg Magistrate’s Court, Yusuf Baba, railed against gender-based violence (GBV) and its “structural inequalities”.

“GBV in our country is rampant, and women depend on our courts to uphold their rights. [GBV is] characterised by the use and abuse of physical, emotional, financial power and control,” said Baba.

Sodi’s legal disputes

Sodi is due back in the dock later this year when he and his co-accused are to appear in the Bloemfontein Magistrate’s Court in connection with a R255 million Free State asbestos contract.

The court was informed in June 2024 that the prosecution and state had agreed to a trial period running from 15 April to 23 June.

As well as the asbestos contract scandal, Sodi was implicated in the failure to deliver on a R295 million contract to upgrade and refurbish Tshwane’s Rooiwal Wastewater Treatment Plant.

The Special Investigating Unit was given authorisation to investigate the Rooiwal tender, while then-Tshwane mayor Cilliers Brink promised to blacklist Sodi’s companies from doing business with the city.

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