Durban — Taxi driver Samkelo Victus Dube was handed two life terms for the murder and rape of 17-year-old Sibahle Faith Biyela.

On Thursday, in the Durban High Court, Judge Bruce Bedderson sentenced Dube to a further five years for the assault on Thandiwe Shange.

On the evening of Sunday, October 4, 2020, Biyela, Shange, and Dube were socialising together at Dube’s residence where he allegedly had made repeated sexual advances towards Sibahle, who rejected these.

It’s alleged that Biyela and Shange left the accused’s place just after midnight and as they were walking home, the accused ran up to them accusing the deceased of having stolen his cellphone.

An argument allegedly ensued between the accused and Shange and he began assaulting Shange and stabbed her in the forehead with a screwdriver.

During the trial, Dube, 33, took the stand and told the court how he had covered Biyela’s body with the blanket he had been sleeping with and that he knew Biyela as they were in high school at the same time.

Before Judge Bedderson sentenced Dube, he heard from the State and defence in mitigation and aggravation of sentence.

Dube’s Legal Aid lawyer, Zeera Fareed, asked that the court consider his personal circumstances as substantial and compelling to deviate from the prescribed minimum sentence of life when it came to the rape and murder convictions.

She said that Dube, who was 29 when the murder and rape happened, turned 33 last month and had four children, mothered by different women.

Fareed said that before his incarceration, the accused had supported each child with R300 per month, adding that he was not sure whether or not his children were beneficiaries of the government support grant.

“As a taxi driver, he was earning R700 a week and had been employed as such since 2016. He has spent almost four years in custody. The accused maintains his innocence, he is a first-time offender. His four minor kids are aged 14, 9, 8, 5. The accused was intoxicated, it is a mitigating factor,” said Fareed.

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