Three men sentenced to 10 years for vicious assault on off-duty SAPS officer in Amanzimtoti
Three men have been sentenced to 10 years’ direct imprisonment each for the attempted murder of an off-duty police officer.
South African Police Services (SAPS) Captain Gysbert Johannes Grotius was left with life-altering injuries following a violent assault in Amanzimtoti, south of Durban, on August 29, 2021.
His attackers, Ndabezinhle Mvune, 29, Simiso Mthimkhulu, 47, and Thamsanqa Msabala, 29, were sentenced in the Durban Regional Court this week.
The court heard that Grotius, who was off-duty at the time, was walking along Cato Crest Street when he approached a suspicious taxi with three occupants.
According to the Directorate for Priority Crimes Investigation (Hawks) an altercation ensued, during which one of the suspects struck him with a beer can.
“The situation escalated when all three men exited the vehicle and assaulted him, with one using an iron rod to inflict severe injuries,” said KZN Hawks spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Simphiwe Mhlongo.
Grotius sustained a fractured skull, brain bleed, broken fingers, and multiple lacerations.
‘He was rushed to the hospital and later underwent brain surgery. Due to the extent of his injuries, he was medically boarded from the South African Police Service, where he had served in the Air Wing unit,” says Mhlongo
The accused were arrested in April 2022 by members of the Hawks’ Durban Serious Organized Crime Investigation unit.
They were found guilty on May 29, 2025, and have also been declared unfit to possess firearms.
The KwaZulu-Natal Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation Provincial Head, Major General Lesetja Senon, welcomed the sentence and commended the members for the good work.
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