eMbalenhle woman pleads guilty of murdering Sifiso Kubheka
Nhlanhla Nkosi will be sentenced soon, but her co-accused, Mandla Skosana, Sibusiso Skosana and Seun Mpenzi maintain that they are innocent.
The Evander Regional Court on October 6 found Nhlanhla Nkosi guilty of the murder of Sifiso Kubheka after she pleaded guilty to all charges against her.
Her co-accused, Mandla Skosana, Sibusiso Skosana and Seun Mpenzi, pleaded not guilty. Kubheka disappeared on April 12 last year, and his body was found floating in the Roodebank Dam on April 30.
According to police reports, his hands and legs were bound. His car was later discovered abandoned near the old Bracken Mine.
Nkosi and her co-accused were arrested a few days after Kubheka’s body was found. They face eight counts, including two counts of kidnapping, assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, cybercrime fraud, fraud, robbery, murder and intimidation.
In a statement read before the court by her attorney, Nkosi admitted that she had been collecting debts owed to her late mother with the help of her boyfriend, Mandla Skosana.
She told the court that in April 2024, Sifiso Kubheka and his friend, Amukelani Vuma, visited her home to borrow money. Nkosi agreed to lend him the money, which brought the total debt to R75 000, including the amount he already owed her late mother.
Nkosi said that because they were suffering from a hangover from the previous night, she offered to buy alcohol for everyone. Kubheka accompanied her to a nearby tavern, leaving Vuma at the house.
Upon their return, they found loud music playing. Three men were inside the house. When Kubheka asked where Vuma was, the three said he had gone to buy something. Kubheka was grabbed, tied up and had his mouth covered with a cloth.
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Nkosi claims that the group had planned the previous night to kidnap and intimidate Kubheka to force him to repay the money he owed.
Nkosi said she acted in common purpose with her accomplices. She demanded Kubheka’s cellphone and banking app PIN. She later discovered that Vuma had also been tied up and kept in a separate room.
The group then placed Kubheka and Vuma in the back of Nkosi’s van. When they arrived in Roodebank, Nkosi struck Kubheka on the head with a wheel spanner, causing him to bleed.
He attempted to run toward the river, but was chased and stabbed, causing his death. In her statement to court, Nkosi implicated her co-accused in this deed.
She said a rock was fetched and tied to Kubheka’s legs to prevent his body from floating. Later that week, when Kubheka’s salary was deposited into his account, Nkosi transferred R19 100 to personal bank accounts, acting in common purpose with her co-accused.
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