Court hands down life sentences
Two men were sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of a woman last year.
A MAN and his accomplice, who kidnapped a 24-year-old woman from her Umbilo home in 2013 and strangled her in a sugar cane field in Shongweni, have been convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment.
On 28 August this year, Vusumuzi Thwala was sentenced to life for murder and his accomplice, Msizi Ntshangase was sentenced to life imprisonment for murder, 15 years for kidnapping and five years for robbery of a motor vehicle.
Constable Nero from Umbilo SAPS Detective Branch and his team worked tirelessly to ensure the perpetrators were brought to book.
“The deceased was an entrepreneur and a breadwinner for her family at Hlokozi high flat. She brutally lost her life as a result of greed of the said perpetrators,” said Sgt Beverly Manqele from Umbilo SAPS.
Ntshangase and another accomplice, Bongani Mncube held the woman, Hlengiwe Maluleka, up at gun point, and took her, along with her motor vehicle, a Ford Fiesta from the Clark Road premises. They drove to a Pinetown Standard bank ATM where she was forced to withdraw an amount of R3900 from her account. The men were under the impression that she had R90 000 in her account. They took her to a Shongweni sugar cane field where she was strangled to death.
Constable Nero and Constable Ngoma from Umlazi gathered information about the whereabouts of Maluleka's motor vehicle which had been seen at Umlazi E section.
On 30 May 2013, Constable Nero, Constable Ngoma and Constable Dube organised an operation to follow up on the vehicle with the help of an informer. Four suspects, Bongani Mncwabe, Vusumuzi Thwala, Msizi Ntshangase and Lungile Thwala were arrested for the murder
On Monday 3 June 2014 the men made their first court appearance at Durban Regional Court. The dockets were under investigation by Captain Khambule and detective Constable Nero. Through investigation and court proceedings the bail application by the suspects was successfully opposed and the matter was referred to the High Court for trial.
One suspect was acquitted on all counts as he voluntarily gave information of how the crime occurred.
On 22 August Vusumuzi Thwala was found guilty of murder and Msizi Shangase was found guilty of murder, kidnapping and robbery of a motor vehicle.
