The Pietermaritzburg High Court has convicted four men of murdering three people in 2020, rejecting their account of a drive-by shooting. Sandile Madlala, Sabelo Madlala, Lethukuthula Khumalo, and Thabiso Nkosi were found guilty of killing Mxolisi Mncedisi Dladla, his girlfriend Nompumelelo Thwala, and Nhlanhla Fortune Zulu. The court heard that the physical evidence made a drive-by shooting impossible, with cartridge cases indicating the gunmen had been standing on both sides of the vehicle.
The Madlala brothers, sons of former ANC mayor Vincent Madlala, claimed that shots were fired from a passing vehicle. However, a ballistics expert dismantled this version, and the State presented evidence placing the BMW in the parking lot of an electronics company when the shots were fired. Five witnesses supported this evidence, and Judge Elsje-Marie Bezuidenhout noted that the accused had elected not to testify, leaving the State's evidence uncontested.
The court heard that the four accused and the three victims had spent the evening socialising before setting off for home in a convoy comprising a VW Polo and a BMW. When the BMW broke down, the Polo towed it using a rope, according to the brothers' police statement. However, the physical evidence contradicted their account, with 12 bullet holes in the rear of the BMW consistent with shots fired from a stationary position.
The judge found that all four accused had acted with common purpose, making each of them criminally liable for the murders. She also highlighted contradictions between the versions the men had given in their police statements and during their bail application. The brothers had also faced charges of perjury and defeating the ends of justice after telling police they could identify the alleged gunmen by name.
The three people the brothers identified subsequently came forward with alibis, and Judge Bezuidenhout acquitted them of perjury at an earlier stage of the trial. The brothers will remain on bail until they return to court for sentencing in December. Their father, Vincent Madlala, is on trial for unlawful possession of firearms and defeating the administration of justice.
Vincent Madlala was arrested in 2021 after allegedly barricading himself inside his home and preventing members of the Political Killings Task Team from entering to arrest his sons. Officers eventually dismantled his electric gate to gain access, and a subsequent search of the property led to the discovery of a safe containing six firearms and 16 rounds of live ammunition.
The former mayor's trial is scheduled to resume later this month in the Pietermaritzburg Magistrate's Court. The convictions bring closure to the families of the victims, and the community can expect justice to be served when the brothers are sentenced in December.
Key points
- The Pietermaritzburg High Court convicted four men, including the sons of a former Alfred Duma Municipality mayor, of murdering three people in 2020.
- The court rejected the accused's account of a drive-by shooting, citing physical evidence and witness testimony.
- The brothers will remain on bail until sentencing in December, while their father faces separate charges of unlawful possession of firearms and defeating the administration of justice.
