In a significant ruling, two convicted hitmen with links to taxi industry violence, Muzi Sibiya (42) and Nduduzo Shezi (36), were handed severe sentences by the Pietermaritzburg Regional Court on Friday, 29 August 2025.
The duo was convicted on charges of murder and robbery with aggravating circumstances. Sibiya and Shezi were each sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of Nomusa Ntshele, with an additional combined 80 years’ imprisonment for the robbery and other charges.
The court heard that on 4 July 2022, Sibiya and Shezi, along with at least four other accomplices, stormed a post office located within the Tugela Ferry Mall in Msinga. The group robbed employees of an undisclosed sum of cash that was intended for distribution to SASSA beneficiaries. They also stole personal items from two employees and took a jacket and a two-way radio from a security guard on duty.
As the suspects fled to a getaway vehicle parked outside, they fired shots randomly. One of these stray bullets struck and killed Nomusa Ntshele, an innocent woman who had been standing in a queue at a nearby ATM. She died at the scene.
Police officers from Msinga responded immediately and pursued the suspects. During the chase, the group abandoned their vehicle and fled on foot into nearby bushes. A subsequent search led to the discovery of Sibiya hiding inside a cave. He was found in possession of the security guard’s stolen jacket, the two-way radio, and a portion of the stolen money.
Police profiling revealed Sibiya was a taxi driver and a suspected hitman from the Msinga area. This connection prompted the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Taxi Violence Unit to assume control of the investigation.
Evidence recovered from the suspects’ abandoned vehicle also firmly linked Nduduzo Shezi to the crime. The search for him culminated at a prison in Gauteng, where he was already in custody. Shezi had been arrested by the Gauteng Taxi Violence Unit for a separate murder related to taxi industry violence. He was subsequently charged and linked to the Msinga case.
Both accused were declared unfit to possess firearms. The investigation remains active, with police expressing confidence that the remaining suspects will be apprehended and face further arrests.
