Three men were each sentenced to life and 10 years' imprisonment by the Mtunzini circuit court on Wednesday. They were convicted of murdering taxi owner Nduduzo Ntuli in Maphumulo, KwaZulu-Natal, two years ago.
Phumlani Mjaza, Musa Nelson Phahla and Sabelo Enoch Mdletshe, who is a relative of the deceased, were also convicted of robbery with aggravating circumstances.
Mjaza was sentenced to a further 10 years' imprisonment for unlawful possession of a firearm.
“The men knew the victim, Nduduzo Ntuli, owned a minibus taxi, which he used to transport school children.
“Ntuli used the vehicle for this sole purpose and did not belong to any taxi association. In June 2020, while Ntuli was parking the vehicle at his home in the Ndaba area of Maphumulo, he was accosted by the three men,” said National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Natasha Ramkisson-Kara.
The men shot Ntuli in the head, then tried to remove his body from the vehicle so they could drive it away, she added.
Family members heard the noise, caught Mjaza and took the firearm.
Phahla and Mdletshe fled.
“Mdletshe was easily identified and thus arrested, as he was a relative of Ntuli. Phahla was arrested after police received information about his whereabouts,” Ramkisson-Kara said.
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