Principal and Hitman on Trial for Durban Officer Murder; Wife Convicted for Conspiracy
The murder trial of the two remaining accused, a school principal and a convicted hitman, who were among those complicit in the assassination of Durban Metro police officer Captain Zwelakhe Thomas Ntombela, is set to begin in early April.
The accused in question are Sithembiso Justice Khumalo (the principal) and Khulani Cele, a convicted hitman currently serving a life sentence for an unrelated murder at Ebongweni Super Maximum Correctional Center, they appeared briefly at the Durban High Court this week.
Khumalo and Cele allegedly conspired with Captain Ntombela’s wife, Faith Nongcebo Ntombela, to murder the policeman.
Faith Ntombela, who pleaded guilty in 2024, admitted that she had an affair with Cele, who she met on Facebook. Together, they initially planned to poison Captain Ntombela, an officer attached to the VIP unit. However, Faith got cold feet, and the plan shifted to shooting him.
Mandlenkosi ‘Mzo’ Ntombela was the gunman responsible for killing Captain Ntombela at his home in 2023.
Faith confessed to providing Cele with crucial information, including details about her husband’s weapons and the area around their home. She filmed key areas, including where it would be easy to access the firearms. She also provided a Suzuki vehicle and a firearm, as requested by Cele, to execute the plan.
She said she handed a firearm and a vehicle to Khumalo, a principal at a primary school, to be used by the hired killer, Mandlenkosi ‘Mzo’ Ntombela.
Captain Ntombela was fatally shot by Mandlenkosi at his home in Umlazi’s S section in May 2023 while closing a driveway gate.
Both Faith and Mandlenkosi have already pleaded guilty and been sentenced by the Durban High Court. Faith received a life sentence in 2024. Mandlenkosi, who pleaded guilty in 2023 and implicated Faith, was sentenced to 20 years in jail. Following Mandlenkosi’s sentencing, the Hawks arrested Faith, Cele, and Khumalo.
During Cele and Khumalo’s court appearance this week, senior prosecutor Advocate Krishen Shah informed the court that the trial location had been moved from the Scottburgh High Court to the Durban High Court.
Judge Nompumelelo Radebe extended Khumalo’s bail and postponed the matter for the trial to begin on April 13.
nomonde.zondi@inl.co.za