A judge’ gavel and an open book. File Picture
Two men who gunned down a taxi driver as he drove out of a Durban taxi rank were each handed a term of life in prison by the Durban Regional Court.
National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) regional spokesperson Natasha Ramkisson-Kara said Mfanafuthi Madlala, 40, and Sifiso Sokhulu, 44, were sentenced to life imprisonment each for the July 2022 murder they committed in the Effingham area.
Ramkisson-Kara said the 36-year-old deceased, Nkosikhona Ngcobo, was a taxi driver. On the evening of July 10, 2022, he was driving his taxi out of the taxi rank on Ramcharan Road when he was accosted by the men.
“They were armed and fired shots at him, shooting him six times. Ngcobo attempted to drive away, but lost control of his vehicle, crashing into a nearby house,” she said.
According to Ramkisson-Kara, the incident was witnessed by one of Ngcobo’s friends who was driving behind him.
“Following the incident, Sokhulu was in the crowd when the police arrived on the scene. One of the bystanders recognised him and informed the police.”
She said Sokhulu was arrested immediately and he was in possession of his firearm while Madlala was arrested the following day.
During the court proceedings, Prosecutor Carlson Govender led eyewitness testimonies as well as ballistic evidence.
“The bullets recovered from Ngcobo’s body matched with Sokhulu’s firearm.”
In aggravation of sentence, Govender led the testimony of Ngcobo’s girlfriend, who is Madlala’s ex-girlfriend.
“The woman told the court that while she dated him, Madlala was physically abusive, and she had obtained a protection order against him, eventually leaving him. She said that he had threatened to kill her and Ngcobo on numerous occasions after he became aware of their relationship with each other.”
Ramkisson-Kara said Madlala and Sokhulu were sentenced accordingly, and they were both declared unfit to possess a firearm.
“The NPA welcomes the successful finalisation of this matter. We congratulate the prosecution and the investigating teams on a job well done, in holding the accused accountable for their actions.”
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