The Ezakheni Regional Court recently sentenced Saneliso Tshabalala (23) and Lungani Ngwenya (19) to life plus 25 years’ imprisonment for murder, housebreaking, robbery and kidnapping committed in March 2023.
Victims Siyabonga Makhaza and Sithembe Mabizela were assaulted, robbed and abducted from their cottage. Makhaza escaped with stab wounds, but Mabizela was killed.
Tshabalala confessed to his mother what he had done, leading to his arrest, and Ngwenya was arrested later. Both were sentenced to life imprisonment for murder, 15 years for housebreaking and robbery, and five years for each kidnapping count.
The other sentences will run concurrently with the life sentence, and the court also deemed the accused unfit to possess firearms.
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The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) welcomed the prosecution and commended the police for the successful outcome of the case.