Durban — The Durban High Court has sentenced two men convicted in relation to the murder of an off-duty Durban Public Order Policing Officer who was killed at the height of the July 2021 unrest.
Zolani Leadus Zuma was shot, stuffed into refuse bags, and then loaded into the boot of his car which was torched.
On Wednesday Judge Carol Sibiiya sentenced Mzikayifani “Kayelihle” Ndebele to four years in jail for the attempted murder of the policeman while she sentenced his co-accused Sibusiso Ndlela to ten years’ imprisonment for the murder.
On the night of July 13, 2021 Zuma was driving in his blue VW polo dressed in civilian clothes, when he came across Ndebele and other assailants who were in possession of looted goods in a car that Afrika Mthembu was driving.
Zuma chased after Mthembu’s Kia truck in his Polo and fired shots while in pursuit. He followed them to a house in Tshelimnyama.
Once at the house, the officer confronted Mthembu and the assailants producing his state firearm. Ndebele dispossessed Zuma of his gun and allegedly shot him and in the process; another shot hit his uncle Mthembu in the knee.
Zuma’s car was found burnt the following day, and his charred body was discovered in the boot.
Ndebele has been convicted for Zuma’s attempted murder while Ndlela was found guilty of his kidnapping and murder.
Judge Sibiya also sentenced Ndlela to four years in jail for kidnapping. Both his sentences are to run concurrently.
Two men named in the trial as Duve and Lungelo allegedly came up with the plan to put Zuma in the boot of his car and to torch it; the two are said to have been part of the execution of this plan.
Evidence was heard during the trial that Ndlela was there when Zuma was stuffed into the boot of his boot and travelled with Duve and Lungelo to where Zuma’s car was set alight, but was standing at a distance when this happened and didn’t see who torched the car.
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Daily News