Notorious Glebelands Hostel gunmen jailed for 31 years

Two men, referred to as the notorious Glebelands Hostel gunmen, were convicted in the Durban Regional Court, recently, making it a double achievement for investigators who worked extremely hard to ensure a successful prosecution, Rising Sun Chatsworth reports.

The long arm of the law definitely caught up with 31-year-old Mawethu Maquthu and his co-accused, 43-year-old Sthembiso Mbanjwa.

They were both declared unfit to possess firearms as well. Provincial police spokeswoman, Cpt Nqobile Gwala said,

“Their sentence follows an exhaustive trial where the court heard how they killed and maimed residents at the Glebelands Hostel in Umlazi during June 2017.”

It is alleged that on June 4, 2017 at about 1am, Msizi Makhoba, (25), was at the hostel when he was shot and killed by a man, who accused him of making a noise by hooting.

“He sustained a gunshot wound to the head and he later died in hospital. His 27-year-old friend was also shot on his leg during the shooting,” she explained.

Maquthu was also linked to another case of attempted murder he committed with his co-accused, Mbanjwa at Glebelands Hostel on June 9, 2017.

It is alleged that at 7:40pm, the victim was allegedly shot and wounded while at the hostel.

During Maquthu’s arrest, he was found in possession of a stolen vehicle. The vehicle was stolen in the Umbilo area in April 2017. He was also found in possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition