Two men, aged 18 and 20, will spend a lengthy time behind bars for murder and robbery. The duo and a friend planned to rob two men who were enjoying their evening at a local tavern in Salem Place.
On the evening of March 22, 2015, the men armed themselves with knives and entered the tavern.
Two of the three men used their weapons to threaten two patrons, demanding their cell-phones.
One of the patrons, 25-year-old Runwork Zzhuwau, a Zimbabwean National, resisted their attempts at robbery and held on to his phone. He sustained a fatal stab wound to the chest. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The suspects fled the scene with the cell-phones.
Police were notified of the incident and quickly responded. Through investigation, all three suspects were arrested.
The men were traced to the Acaciavale area, where they were found with the property of the deceased. The alleged murder weapon was also recovered.
The charges against the third suspect were withdrawn due to lack of evidence, whereas accused Sandile Phelelani Hadebe (18) was sentenced to 20 years’ imprisonment for murder and 15 years for robbery. He was found unfit to possess a firearm.
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The second accused, Sibusiso Selby Ngwenya (20), was sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment for murder and eight years for robbery. His sentences are to run concurrently. He was also found unfit to possess a firearm.
The case docket was investigated by Captain Shabalala of the Ladysmith Detective Service.
He welcomed the sentence and placed on record his sincere appreciation to Constable Madonsela of the Ladysmith Visible Policing Unit, who was pivotal in tracing and arresting the suspects, and in the recovery of the stolen property.
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