AFTER three years of heartbreak, unanswered questions and a painful wait for justice, the widow of the slain Durban Metro police officer, Faith Ogle, has finally found closure after the killers were sentenced to life.

“For far too long my family and I have carried the pain of losing my husband while waiting for justice. Today, that wait came to an end as the men responsible for his murder were sentenced, it cannot erase our grief but it affirms that his life mattered and that justice has been served,” she said.

Ogle is the widow of a Durban Metro Police officer, Acting Superintendent Errol Ogle (52) who was shot and killed on July 20, 2023.

Ogle’s reaction comes after Phakamani Mlungisi Mpanza and his co-accused, Mzomuhle Lawrance Gamede, were sentenced at the Durban High Court on July 14 for the murder of her husband.

Mpanza, who was referred to in court as the mastermind in this case, was sentenced to life imprisonment for murder, 15 years for robbery with aggravating circumstances and three years for kidnapping.

Durban High Court judge handed down sentences

Judge Garth Harrison ruled out that although Mpanza did not pull the trigger, he played a mastermind role in orchestrating the robbery of a truck from Chester Butcheries.

Gamede was sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment for robbery with aggravating circumstances and three years for kidnapping. The sentences will run concurrently.

Also read: Hitman linked to Durban Metro cop’s murder

State prosecutor, Advocate Bonginkosi Mbokazi had earlier presented the evidence of a state witness known as Jam-Jam, who told the court that on July 20, he and Mpanza went to Umlazi to fetch a hitman only identified as Spha.

Spha is the man who was shot and killed during a shoot-out with the police in Umlazi Q section in September 2024.

They all travelled to the M7 Freeway near Queensburgh where they met Mzomuhle Lawrance Gamede. The court heard that the accused conspired to ambush the Chester Butcheries meat truck at Hans Dettman Highway off-ramp.

Two of the accused were former employees of Chester Butcheries

The state also presented evidence that the initial plan was to commit the robbery outside the Chester Butcheries in Congella.

However, the accused were distracted by the presence of the security guards outside the company’s premises.

The court also heard that on the day Ogle was murdered, Mpanza and Gamede had planned to exact revenge on their former employer, Chester Butcheries. They had been dismissed after participating in an illegal strike.

The court heard that Jam-Jam was subsequently instructed by the accused to follow a truck carrying meat on the M7.

They also instructed him to block the truck, causing it to halt on the freeway. Mpanza, Gamede and Spha then jumped out.

Jam-Jam turned a key state witness in the murder case

Jam-Jam’s testimony indicated after the accused jumped out, he left the scene. However, he told the court that he later returned to the M7 to see whether the hijacking had been successful.

Also read: Prayer meeting to be held for fallen Wentworth police officer

The state witness’s chilling evidence in court

When Jam-Jam returned, the truck had moved a few metres from where he left the accused. However, its anti-theft system had locked up the gears, bringing the vehicle into a complete standstill while facing oncoming traffic.

The court heard that upon noticing that the truck was not moving, the accused jumped out. At that moment, Ogle was travelling on the M7 highway when he spotted a truck facing ongoing traffic.

The evidence presented in court shows that Ogle stopped his car a few metres away from the truck.

Mpanza, Gamede and the armed hitman Spha jumped out of the truck and advanced towards Ogle’s marked police vehicle.

The hitman killed Ogle and took his state firearm

Spha shot and killed Ogle while he was still seated in his car. He took the officer’s state firearm and then hijacked his patrol car that was used as their gateway vehicle. It was later recovered abandoned in Stapleton Road in Pinetown.

After the murder, the Hawks’ Serious Organised Crime Investigation unit collaborated with metro police’s special operations directorate to trace the suspects.  Within 72 hours, the police arrested Mpanza, Gamede and Ncube.

Mpanza was arrested in Estcourt, Ncube was arrested in Durban central while Gamede was arrested in Umlazi.

The hitman was shot and killed in Umlazi

Spha remained on the run until the police traced him hiding out at a residence in Q Section in Umlazi in September 2024. He was shot dead during a shootout with the police. A firearm was recovered at the scene and later sent for ballistic testing.

According to the evidence of Hawks’ officer, Warrant Officer Sibusiso Ntshangase, ballistic testing proved that the recovered firearm was Ogle’s state firearm.

Case status

• On March 24 Mpanza was convicted of murder, hijacking, robbery and kidnapping. The matter was pushed to March 30 for sentencing.
• Mzomuhle Lawrence Gamede was acquitted of murder, but convicted of hijacking, kidnapping and robbery. The third accused, Sabelo Mncube, was acquitted of all the charges.
• On March 30 there was chaos in court when Mpanza refused to be sentenced, saying he did not understand the proceedings.
• In March, Sabelo Ncube was acquitted from all the charges after the state failed to prove that he was an insider known as “Big Man”, who had allegedly relayed information to the accused on the day of the murder. The matter was postponed to April 1, for the finality of the case.
• On May 18, the matter was adjourned again to July 15 where the two accused were sentenced

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