Slain reggae musician Lucky Dube's family clapped in excitement as the three men accused of his murder were found guilty in the High Court in Johannesburg on Tuesday.

Judge Seun Moshidi found Sifiso Mhlanga, Mbuti Mabe and Julius Gxowa guilty of shooting and killing Dube during a botched hijacking in Rosettenville on 18 October 2007.

Mabe was also found guilty on charges related to the aggravated robbery of a VW Polo on 13 October 2007. His two co-accused were acquitted on this charge.

The three men were also found guilty on charges related to the hijacking of a Mercedes Benz in Jules Street, Johannesburg two days after Dube's murder.

Responding to Moshidi's verdict, Dube's son Thokozani said the family was happy that his father's killers had been brought to book.

"We can now have closure"

"What happened to uBaba [Dube] was really traumatic to all of us, but we are happy that his killers have been found guilty. We know they are being brought to book and we can now have closure," Dube junior said.

He, along with his sister Nonkululeko, were present when their father was killed.

He hoped his father's killers would get a "proper sentence".

Dube's wife was too emotional to talk to journalists.

Before the case was adjourned for arguments in mitigation of sentence, State prosecutor advocate Lethabo Mashiane asked that two of the accused be held at the Johannesburg Central Police Station's high risk security detention centre, rather than at Johannesburg Prison where they had been kept thus far.

The request came after Mabe and Mhlanga assaulted a police officer in a foiled bid to escape from the court on Tuesday morning.

Sapa

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