Pietermaritzburg court sentences murderers of ‘witchcraft aunt’

The Pietermaritzburg High Court recently sentenced Siyabonga Shelembe (37), Thandolwethu Sibisi (23), Sphelele Cele (21) and Thobani Mkhize (24) to various terms of imprisonment after their convictions of murder and robbery with aggravating circumstances.

Shelembe enlisted the assistance of Sibisi to kill his aunt, Tholakele Cynthia Shelembe (53), as he believed that she was successful because she was practising witchcraft and bewitching his family members.

Sibisi then sought the assistance of Cele and Mkhize to carry out the murder.

Sibisi, Cele and Mkhize travelled from Umlazi to the Nyangwini area near Umzumbe in the Ugu district on November 7, 2021, where they met Shelembe.

He advised them of his plan to kill his aunt. He further told them they should take both her vehicles as their payment.

Later that day, Sibisi, Cele and Mkhize went to her homestead. They hit her with a knobkerrie given to them by Shelembe, and Mkhize strangled her to death. They then reported to Shelembe that she was dead, and drove her vehicles to Umlazi.

One of the vehicles was burnt, and the other was sold. The men shared the proceeds of the sale.

Shelembe was arrested a day after the incident, as someone had seen him when the men were taking the vehicles. Based on his information, his co-accused were subsequently arrested.

In court

In the state’s case, advocate Nkonzo Mlotshwa led the evidence of a Section 204 witness who had been with the men when they committed the offences.

Also, their confession statements were admitted in court as evidence. To further the state’s case, Mlotshwa handed in Victim Impact Statements compiled by the victim’s daughter and pastor and facilitated by court preparation officer Nokukhanya Mkhize.

The daughter said her mother was a pillar of strength to their family and she had supported many family members who are now struggling to cope. The pastor described her as a reliable force in the church and the community at large.

Shelembe and Mkhize were each sentenced to life imprisonment for murder, while Sibisi and Cele were sentenced to 25 years and 18 years, respectively.

The court deviated from the minimum sentence of life imprisonment for Sibisi and Cele as the court ruled they were young when they committed these offences.

At the time, Sibisi was aged 20 and Cele 18.

The court also considered that they had testified in mitigation of the sentence and they had apologised to the family.

In respect of robbery with aggravating circumstances, Shelembe and Mkhize were sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment each, while Sibisi and Cele were sentenced to 12 years’ and 10 years’ imprisonment, respectively.

Their application for leave to appeal against both conviction and sentence was dismissed.

Natasha Ramkisson-Kara, the regional spokesperson for the NPA, welcomed the successful finalisation of this matter.

“We hope that the sentences meted out will have the desired deterrent effect. We commend the work done by the prosecution and SAPS in securing this conviction,” she said.