Duo sentenced to life for taxi driver’s murder in KZN

Mfanafuthi Madlala (40) and Sifiso Sokhulu (44) have been handed life imprisonment each for the brutal murder of taxi driver Nkosikhona Ngcobo (36) in the Effingham area in July 2022.

The duo was sentenced by the Durban Regional Court recently, says KZN National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Natasha Ramkisson-Kara.

“On the evening of July 10, 2022, [Ngcobo] was driving his taxi out of the taxi rank on Ramcharan Road in Effingham, when he was accosted by the men.

“They were armed and fired shots at him, shooting him six times. Ngcobo tried to drive off, but he lost control of his vehicle and crashed into a nearby house. The incident was witnessed by one of Ngcobo’s friends who was driving behind him,” she adds.

Ramkisson-Kara says that following the incident, Sokhulu was in the crowd when the police arrived on the scene.

“One of the bystanders recognised him and they informed the police. Sokhulu was arrested immediately, in possession of his firearm, and Madlala was arrested the following day,” she adds.

In court, prosecutor Carlson Govender led eyewitness testimonies as well as ballistic evidence.

“The bullets recovered from Ngcobo’s body matched with Sokhulu’s firearm.

“In aggravation of sentence, Govender led the testimony of Ngcobo’s girlfriend, who is Madlala’s ex-girlfriend. The woman told the court that while she dated him, Madlala was physically abusive, and she had obtained a protection order against him, eventually leaving him.

“She said that he had threatened to kill her and Ngcobo on numerous occasions after he became aware of their relationship. Madlala and Sokhulu were sentenced accordingly, and they were declared unfit to possess a firearm,” she says.

Ramkisson-Kara says the NPA welcomed the successful finalisation of this matter.

‘We congratulate the prosecution and the investigating teams on a job well done, in holding the accused accountable for their actions.”