On 5 May 2021, Scelo Ndodo Zuma (29) appeared before the Pietermaritzburg High Court where he was sentenced for the crimes that he had committed. He was sentenced to three life sentences for three counts of murders, 15 years in jail for robbery, 15 years for unlawful possession of firearm and three years for unlawful possession of ammunition.
His sentence follows an incident that took place on 18 April 2019 just after midnight, where Arnold Cassim (38) was in his tuck-shop at Copesville when he was attacked by three unknown armed males.
At gunpoint they took cash, cigarettes, airtime vouchers and cellphones. The victim was shot multiple times on the body and was declared at the scene. There was a woman that was in the vicinity and was also fatally wounded by the armed robbers who fled the scene on foot. The woman was identified as Rorisang Makoetje (23). Charges of murder and robbery were opened for investigation at Mountain Rise SAPS.
On the same day, the same robbers proceeded to Swapo to assassinate a woman that witnessed the incident. Alina Tsiko (21) was fatally shot on the head. Another murder case was opened.
The investigation conducted by the investigation officer assigned to the docket led him to Hanniville in Pietermaritzburg where Scelo Ndondo (29) was placed under arrest.
During his arrest, the accused was in possession of an illegal firearm with 15 rounds of ammunition. The recovered firearm was positively linked to all the three murders.
Other two accused Mfunso Zuma Sibisi (26) and Zain Khwashube (34) were also traced and arrested at Hanniville in 2019. They were all tried in court and Mfundo pleaded guilty at court. On 5 December 2019, he was sentenced by the Pietermaritzburg High Court where he was given 25 years for murder of Cassim and 20 years each for other two counts of murder. The sentences were to run concurrently.
The case against Zain Mkhwashube is still pending at High court. He will appear before the Pietermaritzburg High Court on 10 May 2021 for trial.
