The High Court in Pretoria, sitting in Benoni, sentenced James Veli Masuku, 36, and his co-accused Xolani Lawrence Dlamini, 31, for the murder of police officer Constable Prudence Masuku.
The two men were each sentenced to 46 years behind bars, according to Warrant Officer Thatohatsi Mavimbela, Gauteng spokesperson for the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, also known as the Hawks.
Constable Prudence Masuku, who was stationed at the Daveyton SA Police Service (SAPS) in Gauteng, was murdered in Putfontein while on her way to work. The woman was accompanied by her husband, Veli Masuku, when the incident happened in June 2022.
Prudence was seven months pregnant when she was murdered.
“Investigation by the Hawks’ serious organised crime investigation unit and ballistic results revealed that the service pistol belonging to Constable Prudence Masuku was fired at the scene and that in fact, it was that very pistol that was used to murder the officer,” said Mavimbela.
“Veli Masuku alleged that they were confronted by two taxis, and the passengers of both taxis approached them and began firing several shots at the deceased while he ran for cover.”
Veli told the court that upon returning to the vehicle he found that his wife’s service pistol had gone missing.
Members of the Hawks’ serious organised crime investigation unit, Ekurhuleni crime intelligence unit, and the Joburg Metro Police Department arrested Veli’s co-accused after swiftly reacting to information about a suspect demanding cash for murdering the police officer from a “middleman”.
Veli Masuku and Lawrence Dlamini were found guilty on April 8, after they had pleaded not guilty.
They were charges for murder, theft of a firearm, two counts of illegal possession of a firearm, and defeating the administration of justice. The pair were sentenced as follows – on count one of murder, they were each sentenced to 25 years, which is life imprisonment; for theft of a firearm they each got 10 years imprisonment each; and for possession of an unlicenced firearm, they were sentenced to five years each.
For illegal possession of ammunition, each man got two years behind bars, and for defeating the administration of justice, they each got five years imprisonment.
The court ordered that sentences for count two, three and four should run concurrently with the sentence for murder, resulting in an effective 30-year jail term for each of the convicted men.
Both men were further declared unfit to possess firearms in the future.
Meanwhile, provincial head of the Hawks in Gauteng Major General Ebrahim Kadwa has welcomed the sentence.
“I commend the investigators and the prosecution team for the remarkable and meticulous work put into this case. This is especially true because our country is grappling with callous crimes like gender-based violence (GBV) and femicide,” said Kadwa.
“The sentence should act to deter like-minded individuals that justice will be served in the end.”
IOL