One of two accused of murdering a metered taxi driver in Newcastle, KwaZulu-Natal in February, pleaded guilty to his part in the crime, saying he was driven to commit the act by the need to pay for his daughter’s birthday party.

Siyanda Mfundo Mahlambi admitted to being involved in luring Sihle Ismael Malembe (48) to a quiet place where he was killed for his vehicle. His body was dumped in a river, using a seat cover from vehicle, attached to a rock.

Mahlambi, a second accused who is not named as well as a third person who allegedly had a buyer for the car, were pulled over by police in Dundee who spotted blood in the car. He immediately confessed to the murder and proceeded to point out the place where Malembe’s body was dumped a river near Boschwell Farm in Osizweni.

Amanda Hulley, who represented Mahlambi, read his confession in the Pietermartizburg High Court.

According to his confession, Mahlambi and his friend met up at a tuck shop in Dannhauser on the day of the murder and plotted a plan to make quick cash. The friend mentioned that they needed to steal a vehicle because he knew of someone who would buy it from them.

They had a couple of drinks at a local tavern before making their way to a shopping centre to find their victim.

This is when they spotted Malembe sitting in his meter taxi. Mahlambi and his friend approached Malembe and asked him if he would take them to Madadeni, which he agreed to do for a fee of R200.

Once on the road, Mahlambi’s friend asked the victim to pull over on a gravel road so that he could urinate. However, once the vehicle came to a halt, the friend proceeded to try and strangle the taxi driver with a shoelace.

Malembe allegedly tried to fight back, resulting in his death.

The two friends put his lifeless body in the boot of the car, fled from the scene, and later disposed of the body.

The two then went to Rooi Poort Farm (Dannhauser), where they picked up a third person, who allegedly had a buyer for the stolen vehicle. They were pulled over by police before they could do the transaction.

The court sentenced Mahlambi to 25 years in jail for his part in the murder. According to IOL he also received an additional 15 years for robbery after he stole the deceased vehicle.

Acting Judge AJ Mathenjwa delivered the sentence in June, noting that Mahlambi was a first-time offender and showed remorse for what he had done.