Murderous trio jailed
Mr Walugembe (38) was at his residence in Drakensview on the evening of February 11 when the three men gained entry to the premises and stabbed him close to 20 times
Life sentences have been handed down to three men found guilty of murder and robbery with aggravating circumstances.
Hendy Couch (37), Velaphi Ernest Sikhakhane (32) and Thubalakhe Ngubane (25) were implicated in the murder of Leonard Walugembe who was stabbed multiple times and left for dead in February last year.
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Mr Walugembe (38) was at his residence in Drakensview on the evening of February 11 when the three men gained entry to the premises and stabbed him close to 20 times. He died due to the severity of the wounds.
His girlfriend, who was at the home at the time, tried to intervene but she was injured when she too was stabbed. After the vicious attack on the couple, the three men took their cellphones and an undisclosed amount of money and fled.
Estcourt police opened a case of murder and robbery with aggravated circumstances, which was handed over to the Estcourt Trio Task Team to investigate.
“Thorough and swift detective work resulted in two of the three suspects being arrested in the Estcourt area. The third suspect later handed himself over to detectives,” explained police spokesperson Colonel Thembeka Mbhele.
The three men pleaded not guilty to the charges when they appeared in the Estcourt Magistrate’s Court.
“Bail was opposed by the investigating team and the accused were remanded in custody while the investigation continued. Once the investigation was finalised, the case docket was transferred to the Pietermaritzburg High Court. The accused stood trial and the case was finalised on July 6, 2017,” said Col Mbhele.
The first accused, Hendy Couch (37) was sentenced to life imprisonment for murder and 15 years for robbery. The second accused, Velaphi Ernest Sikhakhane (32) and third accused Thembinkosi Thubalakhe Ngubane (25) were both sentenced to 20 years imprisonment for murder and 15 years imprisonment for robbery.
KwaZulu-Natal Acting Provincial Commissioner, Major General Bheki Langa welcomed the sentences handed down to the accused and praised the detectives for their good work.
“We praise our detectives who conducted an investigation properly that led to the conviction of the accused. We hope that this sentence will send a strong message to other would-be criminals,” he said.
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