Four sentenced to life for brutal murders of Cape Town law enforcement officers

Four men will each serve two life terms behind bars for the murders of Law Enforcement officers Jan Niewenhuys and Simthembile Nyangiwe who were deployed at Sweet Home in Samora Machel.

Ndumiso Lutshetu,18, Ashwin Kennedy, 22, Bongani Mvamveki, 36 and Malibongwe Witbooi, 35, were sentenced at the Western Cape High court on Thursday.

Niewenhuys and Nyangiwe were on duty in a marked vehicle in 2019 when they were killed in a hail of bullets in broad daylight. During the brazen attack, the officers' firearms were stolen. The pair were shot at 21 times.

Provincial police commissioner Lieutenant General Thembisile Patekile welcomed the sentence.

Patekile said the verdict served as a testament to the relentless pursuit of justice and underscores their commitment to protecting those who dedicate their lives to safeguarding communities.

The accused pleaded not guilty to the murder charges brought against them.

They were, however, all convicted on all six criminal charges, which included two murder charges, two robbery with aggravating circumstances, unlawful possession of firearms, and unlawful possession of ammunition.

The two officers, who were in one vehicle, had just returned from their lunch break when their colleagues in a separate vehicle heard the gunshots ring out.

According to court details, the accused were apprehended within two hours of the shooting after a senior cop attached to the Crime Prevention Unit at Samora Machel received reliable information from an unregistered informant of where the accused could be found.

Having received the information, and briefing police and a team of soldiers who were supporting police in the area, the 28-man strong multidisciplinary team swooped on a shack where the accused were found in possession of the firearms of the slain law enforcement officers.

High court Judge Daniel Thulare denied the submission by the accused that they were not searched inside the shack where they were caught by surprise by police and soldiers, and found in possession of the officers’ firearms. 

“Police are well-trained to deal with life-threatening situations. The police who attended to the shack, approached the shack well informed that the occupants thereof were armed and were allegedly involved in the shooting of law enforcement officers and had robbed those officers of their firearms… It is highly improbable that they would not have searched the accused. 

“The version of the accused changed as it suited them… The version of the accused which implied a false conspiracy by the police to falsely implicate them is not only highly improbable but was also beyond reasonable doubt false,” said Judge Thulare. 

Cape Times