Killer sentenced to life behind bars

A convicted murderer will spend the rest of his life behind bars after being handed the hefty sentence by Eshowe Regional Court last week.

Siphiwe Kweyama (28) from the Isithebe area outside Mandeni was sentenced to life plus 15 years for robbery with aggravating circumstances.

He was also declared unfit to possess a firearm.

The court heard how Kweyama and his accomplices pretended to be police officers when they robbed their 16- and 18-year-old victims at gunpoint inside their home in July 2018.

The survivor (18) told the court that on the day of the incident, he and his siblings were at home when Kweyama and his accomplices came to rob them.

According to a statement issued by the National Prosecution Authority (NPA), the suspects pretended to be police officers and assaulted their victims, demanding money from them.

The room was dark as the suspects had cut off the electricity supply. As the victims were crying, Kweyama, who was standing outside, instructed his accomplices to keep the victims quiet as the noise was going to wake the neighbour.

At this point, the deceased recognised Kweyama’s voice, and she shouted that she knew they were not police officers.

One of the assailants shot her three times and the men fled the scene. Kweyama was arrested a week later in possession of the victim’s cellphone, while one of the other perpetrators died following a shoot-out with police.

In court, prosecutor Nkosinathi Ngcongo led eyewitness testimonies as well as the evidence of the police officials who arrested Kweyama.

Ngcongo further handed in a victim impact statement (VIS) compiled by the complainant and facilitated by court preparation officer Amanda Nxumalo.

In his statement, the victim said his life has changed since the incident, and that he and his family no longer feel safe in their home.

He said his mother, who was grief-stricken at the loss of his sister, passed away not long after. The victim added that he still has flashbacks and nightmares about the ordeal.

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