KZN taxi violence: Hitmen sentenced to life plus 80 years for brutal robbery and murder
Two convicted hitmen linked to the taxi industry, Muzi Sibiya, 42, and Nduduzo Shezi, 36, were each sentenced to life imprisonment plus a combined 80 years in jail for murder and robbery with aggravating circumstances.
The pair were sentenced by the Pietermaritzburg Regional Court on Friday.
KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda said the duo were found guilty of murder and robbery with aggravating circumstances following a violent heist at the Tugela Ferry Mall post office in Msinga on July 4, 2022.
“Sibiya and Shezi, along with at least four other suspects, stormed into the post office and robbed employees of an undisclosed amount of money that was to be paid to SASSA beneficiaries,” said Netshiunda.
The suspects also robbed two employees of their personal belongings and took a jacket and ta wo-way radio from a security guard.
As they fled in a getaway vehicle parked outside, they fired shots randomly.
A woman standing in a queue at a nearby ATM, later identified as Nomusa Ntshele, was struck and died at the scene.
Police from Msinga responded and gave chase. The suspects abandoned their vehicle and fled on foot into nearby bushes.
Sibiya was found hiding inside a cave in possession of the stolen jacket, two-way radio and an undisclosed amount of cash taken during the robbery.
“Suspect profiling revealed that Sibiya was a taxi driver and suspected hitman from the Msinga area. The KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Taxi Violence Unit subsequently took over the investigation,” said Netshiunda.
Netshiunda said evidence collected from the suspects’ vehicle linked Shezi to the crime.
A manhunt led investigators to a prison in Gauteng, where he had been arrested by the Gauteng Taxi Violence Unit in connection with a separate taxi-related murder case.
He was formally charged for the Msinga murder and robbery.
Both men have been declared unfit to possess firearms.
Netshiunda said the search continues for the remaining suspects, and police are confident of a breakthrough.
simon.majadibodu@iol.co.za
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