Warrant Officer Phumlani Dastile was murdered in Zwelitsha in revenge for the conviction of one of the suspects.
Three men accused of the calculated assassination of a 44-year-old detective have been sentenced to life in jail.
The trio, 25-year-old Thando “Flokkie” Mangolwane, 24-year-old Siyabonga “Jacks” Zimela and 29-year-old Siphelo “Spikiri” Bebe appeared in the Bisho High Court in the Eastern Cape on Monday, where the sentence was handed down.
Warrant Officer Phumlani Dastile was murdered in Zwelitsha on 23 August 2021 in revenge for the conviction of Bebe, the mastermind, who was already serving multiple life sentences for violent crimes committed in 2018.
Trial
National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Luxolo Tyali said the court found the accused’s denials to be inconsistent and improbable against the weight of the evidence.
“Cellphone records placed them at the crime scene, while communications confirmed their planning and execution roles. Mangolwane was identified as one of the triggermen, while Nojaholo drove the getaway vehicle.”
In aggravation of sentence, the state’s attorney, Advocate Louis Sinclair, argued that the assassination was a “senseless killing of a police officer simply carrying out his duty”.
“It was a direct assault on the rule of law. In crimes of this gravity, the personal circumstances of the accused must take a backseat. Minimum sentences must apply, or else our country risks descending into lawlessness.”
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Assassination
Tyali said in addition to the life sentences, Mangolwane and Zimela each received 15 years’ imprisonment for unlawful possession of a semi-automatic firearm and three years for possession of ammunition. These will run concurrently with the life terms.
Tyali said Bebe orchestrated the hit using a cellphone from inside his prison cell.
“He recruited Mangolwane and Zimela through a mutual acquaintance, Kwanga Nojaholo, who later turned state witness under Section 204 of the Criminal Procedure Act. The pair travelled from Khayelitsha in the Western Cape to carry out the murder.
“On the day of the crime, Warrant Officer Dastile was ambushed and shot multiple times at close range outside Monde’s Tavern in Zone 4, Zwelitsha, in broad daylight. Evidence led by the prosecution included cellphone data, surveillance footage, post-mortem results and testimony from key witnesses, including the accused’s girlfriends, which confirmed their movements and roles,” Tiyali said.
Sentence welcomed
The Director of Public Prosecutions in the Eastern Cape, Barry Madolo, praised the prosecution and investigation teams, saying the “murder of a police officer is not only an attack on an individual but on the justice system itself”.
“This sentence reaffirms our commitment to upholding the rule of law and ensuring that those who harm law enforcement officers face the full might of justice,” Madolo said.
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