Durban — Two men were sentenced to life imprisonment, on Thursday, for robbery and the murder of a contracted Coca-Cola truck driver Sabelo Nxumalo in 2020 at Dube Village Mall in Inanda.
Magistrate E La Grange handed down the sentence, at the Ntuzuma Magistrate’s Court, to Sbongiseni Maphumulo, 25 and Thobani Mabaso, 32.
Nxumalo was alone in the truck waiting for his brother who went inside a Shoprite store for an invoice when Maphumulo entered from the passenger's side and stabbed him.
The court heard that Mabaso and another person stood by the driver’s door preventing Nxumalo’s escape.
Nxumalo, a father of four, was robbed of his cellphone and Nike backpack.
The court heard that within two hours after the murder, the items were already sold.
The two men pleaded not guilty with the defence stating that the crime was carried out to get money to support their whoonga addiction.
“The interest of the accused and merits of the crime must be weighed in looking at deviating from the minimum sentence which is life.
“The court has taken into consideration the personal circumstances of the accused.
“Both accused are fathers and they appear not to be breadwinners or primary caregivers,” said La Grange.
The accused on the stand had told the court that they both had children whom they did not live with and support wholly financially.
“The court also considered the seriousness of the case, besides that a person lost their lives.
“He was a father, a partner to someone and a productive member of society.
“Besides the financial loss of income, there was the emotional impact that his children no longer have a father to look up to.” she said.
La Grange said the type of offence the men had committed was extremely prevalent in the jurisdiction of her court.
“We deal with robbery and murder cases where guns and knives are used and lives are lost for no apparent reason.
“The State sees these kinds of incidents as serious.
“This makes it difficult for the court to deviate from the minimum.”
Daily News