Man sentenced to life for killing e-hailing driver in Durban

The Durban High Court today sentenced a man to life and 38 years imprisonment for the murder and robbery of an e-hailing driver in Umbilo, KZN, in 2022.

Sambulo Mngomezulu (37) was also convicted of unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition.

Natasha Ramkisson-Kara, the spokesperson for the KZN National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), says the incident took place on June 14, 2022.

She explains that the deceased, Griffits Mdeni Gumede, was on duty when he was requested to fetch someone from the Umbilo area.

“Upon arrival at the destination, he was shot and killed. His car was recovered an hour later in KwaMashu. Mngomezulu was found in the car, and the car keys, as well as a firearm and ammunition were found in his possession,” she says.

Ramkisson-Kara says that in court, advocate Gugu Xulu led fingerprint and ballistic evidence, and reports from the vehicle tracking device which linked Mngomezulu to the crimes.

Xulu also submitted victim impact statements compiled by family members and facilitated by court preparation officer Thandeka Nadi Mofokeng.

In their statements, they described the deceased as a good, hard-working person. He was the breadwinner in their household, and his passing has left them in financial difficulties.

“The sentences will run concurrently, resulting in the effective sentence of life imprisonment. Also, Mngomezulu was declared unfit to possess a firearm,” she says.