Two friends, who robbed and then stabbed a man to death in KwaMashu three years ago, have been sentenced to life imprisonment.
Jabulani Lethukuthula Nsibande (22) and Siphesihle Khathi (24) appeared in the Ntuzuma Regional Court this week where sentence was handed down. They both received life sentences, as well as an additional 15 years’ imprisonment, police said.
Provincial police spokesperson, Lieutenant-Colonel Nqobile Gwala, said in June 2020, the two accosted 41-year-old Thulani Raphael Mkhize while he was walking along Linda Nzama Road in KwaMashu, north of the Durban CBD.
"The accused were armed with knives. They robbed Mkhize of his laptop, cellphone and a wallet with an undisclosed amount of money," she said.
Gwala said the pair then stabbed Mkhize multiple times and he was declared dead at the scene.
She said the sentence was as a result of a sterling investigation conducted by Detective-Sergeant Sabelo Kubisa, who connected the dots to place the two convicts at the scene of crime.
"The investigating officer succeeded in convincing the courts to reject their several bids for bail until the day they were condemned to jail for the rest of their lives," she said.
Meanwhile, Durban police are on the hunt for a gunman following a drive-by shooting in Wiggins on Thursday.
Speaking to IOL, Bonela Community Policing Forum chairperson, Preggy Govender, said around 27 gunshots were fired at the intersection of Wiggins and Carlow roads.
Colonel Robert Netshiunda told IOL that four people, aged between 28 and 34, were gunned down. "The deceased are from Dunbar in Wiggins and were shot by a man driving in a vehicle. The motive of the killings is unknown at this stage. Police investigations are under way," Netshiunda said.
IOL