A local man has been convicted of murder after the court found he intentionally drove a truck into Lebo Magagula, whom he blamed for stealing his cellphone the day before.

Sikhulile Menzi Maduna (22) was convicted by the Middelburg Regional Court for killing Lebo, a young man from Hendrina, on 2 January 2024.

Several witnesses were called by the state to give evidence about what transpired that day. However, because there were no eyewitnesses, the court had to rely on circumstantial evidence in its judgment.

Maduna’s testimony

Maduna took the stand in his own defence, insisting that the fatal collision was accidental and not connected to the alleged theft of his cellphone the previous day.

He testified that the collision occurred accidentally while he was driving to work. He claimed a speeding car entered the lane next to him, and shortly afterwards, a man suddenly appeared in the road and crossed in front of the truck.

Maduna told the court that he tried to swerve to avoid the pedestrian but felt the truck hit something before coming to an abrupt stop. When he stepped out, he found an injured man lying on the side of the road. He then drove to the police station and reported that he had ‘knocked a person’, later explaining that the man was the same person who had stolen his cellphone the previous day.

During cross-examination, Maduna admitted the speeding car had not affected his driving and accepted that the truck had struck Lebo.

He disputed the photographic evidence showing Lebo lying near a wall, saying he had not driven close to the wall.

Prosecutors challenged inconsistencies in his version, including his denial of telling officers he had ‘killed the boy’, despite a police witness claiming otherwise. He also could not explain how Lebo’s body ended up near the wall or why his version contradicted the physical evidence.

Maduna’s testimony concluded with several unresolved contradictions.

The Judgment

Maduna told the court that his cellphone had been stolen or taken from him by Lebo, who, it is said, ‘was addicted to drugs’. When he later saw Lebo in town, he went and reported the matter to the police and requested assistance. The police, however, were unable to respond immediately due to a lack of transport.

After leaving the police station to return his employer’s truck, Maduna once again encountered Lebo.

The court found that instead of confronting him or seeking lawful intervention, Maduna ‘rammed the truck into him’, an act the court described as likely motivated by revenge rather than any attempt to stop or apprehend Lebo.

Evidence presented during the trial indicated that the impact was forceful. Lebo was thrown approximately 4m from the point of collision, and the truck’s windshield and left side mirror were damaged. The severe injuries sustained by Lebo resulted in his death.

The court ruled that any reasonable person would foresee that using a large vehicle as a weapon could cause fatal injuries.

Maduna was unable to offer any reasonable alternative explanation for his conduct, and the court concluded that the only logical inference was that he unlawfully and intentionally caused Lebo’s death.

He was convicted of murder, and the matter was postponed to February 19, 2026, for sentencing.