KWAZULU-NATAL – A Durban Metro Police killer has been sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of Superintendent Errol Ogle, marking a decisive conclusion to a high-profile criminal case. The KwaZulu-Natal Local Division of the High Court in Durban handed down the sentence to 36-year-old Phakamani Mpanza on Wednesday, 15 July 2026, ensuring legal accountability for the fatal shooting of the 52-year-old law enforcement officer.
The incident occurred on 20 July 2023 on the M7 near the Malvern off-ramp. Superintendent Ogle was shot and killed by Mpanza and his accomplices after he attempted to intercept a truck traveling in the oncoming lane. Preliminary investigations established that the truck had previously been hijacked and its driver held captive. During the ensuing confrontation, the truck driver managed to escape unharmed. The assailants robbed Superintendent Ogle of his service pistol and fled the scene in his marked Durban Metro VW Polo, which was subsequently recovered abandoned in Pinetown.
Following the shooting, a case of murder and hijacking was registered at the Pinetown Police Station and assigned to the Hawks’ Durban Serious Organised Crime Investigation Unit. In close collaboration with the Durban Metro Police, investigators successfully arrested three suspects within 72 hours. The accused were formally charged with murder, armed robbery, hijacking, and kidnapping.
The legal proceedings experienced several postponements, during which the state successfully opposed bail for the accused. One of the three original suspects was later acquitted, while the remaining two were convicted in March 2026.
In addition to the life sentence for murder, Mpanza received 15 years’ imprisonment for robbery and three years’ imprisonment for kidnapping, to be served concurrently. His co-accused, 45-year-old Mzomuhle Gamede, was sentenced to a total of 18 years’ imprisonment, comprising 15 years for robbery and three years for kidnapping.
