Durban High Court convicts two men for the brutal murder of Wandile Ngcobo

The Durban High Court on Wednesday found two men guilty of the gruesome murder of 17-year-old Wandile Aphiwe Ngcobo, who was killed while at her home studying for her Grade 11 exams. 

Wandile was killed on May 28, 2024, and her body was found gagged and bound with a pair of pantyhose in her Umlazi home.

She lived with her father, Mondli Ngcobo, and her little sister.

On the fateful day, she had decided not to go to school but to study at home ahead of her exams. Ngcobo was a pupil at the Durban Girls' Secondary School. 

Delivering his judgment on Wednesday, Judge Garth Harrison said the State proved beyond a reasonable doubt that Sifundo Bongani Bhengu and Bongani Freedom Jali killed Wandile. He also found them guilty of robbery with aggravating circumstances. 

Judge Harrison said all the State witnesses were honest and reliable. Among the other witnesses that he found to be reliable was the evidence of Mondli.

He described him as a grieving father who had been waiting for his day in court, adding that Mondli tried to get as much off his chest.

“He answered all his questions accurately and had nothing to hide,” Judge Harrison explained. 

The judge deemed Nkululeko "Sticks" Mbatha's evidence to be credible.

The court had been informed by Mbatha that Bhengu had admitted to killing Wandile.

Mbatha claimed that this came to light when he took Jali and Bhengu to the CBD to sell a television that they had taken from Wandile's house.

He said the killers had been fighting about the money, and Bhengu told Jali that he needed to take a bigger cut because he had killed Wandile and needed to be cleansed. 

“He (Mbatha) testified about his involvement in moving the stolen goods. He is the only witness who disclosed the fight about money. The court finds him to be a credible witness,” Judge Harrison said. 

He did not prosecute Mbatha for his involvement, as he assisted the court with all the information. 

Additionally, he said the court does not accept Bhengu's evidence that he did not enter the Ngcobo household. He said both the accused sought to blame each other on who killed Wandile, as they looked at the gruesome manner in which she was killed. 

Judge Harrison rejected both versions that the duo gave to the court, as they denied committing the offences. He said both of them planned to go and enter the Ngcobo household, knowing that there was a family member in the house. 

He stated that Jali's claim of not entering the Ngcobo home was dishonest.

According to him, Jali would not have understood the location of the TV or how it was removed from the wall.

According to the evidence presented in court, Judge Harrison stated that Jali was present when Wandile was killed and was shocked to have to take part in the murder.

The matter was postponed to Thursday for aggravation of sentence.

nomonde.zondi@inl.co.za