On 13 May 2021, Pietermaritzburg High Court convicted and sentenced Sandile Gumede (32) to life imprisonment for cash-in-transit heist as well as double murder of Warrant Officer Sifundo Musa and Lieutenant Colonel Carl van der Vyver.
On 1 February 2019, Warrant Officer Musa, from the Special Task Force Unit and Lieutenant Colonel Carl van der Vyver from Crime Intelligence Unit were fatally shot in a shootout with heavily armed cash-in-transit robbers in Nongoma, northern KwaZulu-Natal.
Seven suspects were also fatally wounded during the shoot-out with police on the same date.
Gumede was arrested after the incident and was found in possession of the vehicle that was used during the robbery.
Hawks members from Pietermaritzburg Serious Organised Crime unit managed to oppose bail successfully until he was sentenced. Gumede was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment for cash in transit heist, nine life terms imprisonment for murder of two police officers and his seven accomplices.
He was further sentenced to 10 years imprisonment for each count of attempted murder. The sentences will run concurrently.
The KwaZulu-Natal Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation Provincial Head, Major General Leseja Senona welcomed the sentence. “I commend the investigating team for their dedication in this investigation. It shows that they presented a well investigated case docket before the Judge and this sentence will serve as a lesson to those would be criminals,” he said.
