Durban — The Durban High Court on Friday sentenced North coast taxi boss killers to life imprisonment and 10 years each for his murder and other crimes which include attempted murder.
The taxi boss Dustin Pillay was killed on September 23, 2019, by his close friends Cebo Xulu and Thokozani Mthethwa. Pillay was an executive member of the Dolphin Coast Taxi Association which was founded by his father. Mthethwa shot Pillay at close range. Furthermore, 49 cartridges were found at the crime scene.
When Judge M E Nkosi sentenced the duo he said the continued innocence claim by the hitmen showed that they did not want to admit their actions. He said they showed no remorse. He further agreed with the State that the guns used to commit the crime in 2019 are still in the wrong hands as they have not been found.
During the mitigation of sentence, senior State advocate Elvis Gcweka asked Mthethwa on what he wanted to say with regards to the sentence as he is arrested for serious crimes.
Mthethwa, a father of three and married man denied committing any of the 11 crimes he is convicted of and instead asked the court to give him a suspended sentence so that he could go to the company that he worked for before being arrested to ask for his job back so that he can take care of his family.
Mthethwa also told the court that he is sick with ulcers and that the prison does not have his medication. However, Gcweka asked him when he had the ulcers because they have never hindered the case from the beginning. “We’ve never heard about them,” he said.
Mthethwa replied by saying he did not mention them because he was hoping that he would not be found guilty. He said during the trial the people sitting at the gallery might have seen his pants wet when he stood up and that was because of his ulcers.
Moreover, Xulu said he was taking care of his two children and his diabetic mother. He said ever since he was arrested his mother had not been able to go to Richards Bay to see her doctor, as he was the one who took her there. He said he had a taxi operating at KwaNdengezi and that is how he made money. However, Gcweka asked him if he was talking about the same taxi that is not registered in his name and being managed by someone else. Xulu said yes.
Gcweka urged the court to not deviate from minimum sentences that the pair was convicted of.
“Xulu and Mthethwa knew Pillay very well. He even assisted them, he was their friend. They did not have any shame in killing him. What makes it worse is that the killing was done in a taxi rank when there were many people going to take taxis. They did not bother wearing masks; they wanted to make a statement to say we are here to kill. Cartridges collected in the scene were 49. It clearly showed the brutality of how they wanted to kill,” said Gcweka.
Furthermore, advocate GJ Leppan representing the killers said they were going to appeal. It was agreed that the appeal would be done in November.
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