Durban - Community members from KwaNdengezi in Pinetown could not contain their excitement as the Durban High Court sentenced the two of the three men who killed their leader, Thulani Nxumalo, to life imprisonment on Tuesday.
They ululated as soon as Judge Graham Lopes walked out of the courtroom.
Nxumalo was an ANC branch leader and a CPF member in the area at the time of his murder in September 2018.
Induna Felokwakhe Ndlovu 53, Nkosiyanda Ndlovu, 31 and Nkosinathi Mbambo 30, were found guilty of murder, conspiracy to commit murder, possession of illegal firearm and possession of ammunition, and sentenced to life imprisonment.
When Lopes finished his sentencing and adjourned the court, the ANC members of the KwaNdengezi branch and community members ululated. They said what had happened in court proved that there was justice in South Africa. They sang and some kept on hugging the deceased’s wife.
Nompumelelo Sithole who is on the Regional Executive Committee (REC) in eThekwini, said Nxumalo was a councillor at KwaNdengezi.
“We worked together with Nxumalo and he was a kind man. When we learned of his death we were shattered,” she said.
Sithole added that she was glad that the truth was out because killers were opportunistic. She said when an ANC member is killed right after a meeting, one suspects the people they were in a meeting with. She said this even causes divisions within the party.
Felokwakhe, was sentenced to life imprisonment for conspiracy to murder, life imprisonment for murder,15 years in prison for possession of illegal firearm and five years imprisonment for possession of ammunition.
Nkosiyanda who played the role of transporting Mbambo to go and kill Nxumalo, was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment for conspiracy to murder, 20 years imprisonment for murder, 10 years imprisonment for illegal firearm possession and five years imprisonment for possession of ammunition.
Mbambo was sentenced to life imprisonment for conspiracy to murder, life imprisonment for murder, 15 years for possession of illegal firearm and five years imprisonment for possession of ammunition. All the sentences for the trio will run concurrently.
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