Looking back on 2023 murder convictions
|Published
Durban — The feeling of having justice served brings about a sense of closure to the families of those who were killed.
This year the Daily News reported on some of the most gruesome and senseless killings where the National Prosecuting Authority through investigations by the SAPS secured convictions that saw grief-stricken families find closure.
The Simamanes are one such family. They sat through the suitcase murder trial in the Durban High Court and heard details of the kidnapping and murder of Smangele Simamane and her 12-year-old daughter Sbongakonke Mthembu by Slindile Pamela Zamisa and her daughter Andile Zamisa.
During the trial, family members became emotional as they heard how a relative’s prophecy that Simamane had a hand in the murder of Zamisa’s (Slindile) late husband Bheki Ngcobo fuelled an assault on her.
And that following Simamane’s assault she had four kettles of boiling water poured onto her body, was strangled with a rope, and had a shovel pressed against her neck before her body was bundled into a suitcase.
This had been while Zamisa (Slindile) had pressed her foot on the neck of little Sbonga, whom she had told to lie on the floor. The Simamanes’ pain was alleviated when the two Zamisa women were handed life sentences for the murders in May.
Andile was not sentenced for Sbongakonke’s murder; the court found Slindile was alone when she killed the child.
The court sentenced the two each to five years for kidnapping Sbongakonke, five years for kidnapping Simamane and life imprisonment for killing her, and six years for defeating the ends of justice by concealing evidence and dumping the bodies.
A week later, the Durban High Court sentenced Bheki Msomi to life imprisonment for the murder of Chatsworth pensioner Jinsee Ram, who was strangled to death in her home during a robbery in 2020.
Msomi was on trial for Ram’s murder, the attempted murder of her daughter Sangetha Prithipaul and robbery.
On the day of the murder and robbery, Msomi had entered the Ram home with Simphiwe Cele, Mthethunzima “Stars” Mpepho, and Luvo Mtshezane. Cele was employed by the Ram family but deemed unfit to stand trial and remains at a state psychiatric hospital.
Mpepho was a State witness and Mtshezane subsequently died after having been on the run.
While Independent Media staff eagerly await an arrest in the brutal murder of photographer Bongani Mbatha this year, there was a sense of victory when the Ntuzuma Magistrate’s Court sentenced Lethukuthula Ngwenya to life imprisonment for the murder of another Independent Media employee, Bongumusa Prince Mavuso, who was killed during a robbery and hijacking.
On the other side of the coin, not all convictions bring solace to families, as seen last month when two men were sentenced for the murder of an off-duty policeman, killed at the height of the July unrest.
Mzikayifani “Kayelihle” Ndebele was sentenced to four years for the attempted murder of Durban Public Order policeman Zolani Leadus Zuma while his co-accused, Sibusiso Ndlela, was sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment for the murder.
Zuma’s father stood teary-eyed outside the court following the sentence, unhappy with the jail terms handed down.
Ndlela was also sentenced to a further four years in jail for Zuma’s kidnapping. The officer was first shot and while still alive put into two refuse bags and bundled into the boot of his car. The next day his charred body was discovered.
WhatsApp your views on this story to 071 485 7995.
Daily News