Man gets life for ANC councillor’s murder

Independent Newspapers

Durban - Nkosiyabo Ngubane, the man accused of murdering ANC councillor Wiseman Mshibe, was sentenced on Monday to life in prison for planning and executing the crime.

Durban High Court Acting Judge Thomas Ncube’s sentence was welcomed with shouts of “yes” by ANC supporters who packed the courtroom.

The State alleged that the motive was tension in the ANC.

The judge said that political murders were prevalent in the province

and that offenders must be severely punished for them.

He said that Mshibe was followed from Umlazi to Yellowwood Park, making the crime premeditated. Mshibe was shot as he entered the yard of his Coedmore Road home in March 2011. He drove away and sought help from a passing motorist, but died later in hospital.

Ngubane’s attorney, advocate Sabera Khan, told the court that she would appeal against the conviction and sentence because the State had failed to prove a prima facie case. S

he questioned a statement written by a witness who had died, arguing that the investigating officer had struggled to read the entire document. Judge Ncube granted the leave to appeal.

A small group of ANC supporters sang Struggle songs outside the court. The ANC’s eThekwini regional secretary, Bheki Ntshangase, told the crowd justice had been done.

“But what about the others involved?” he asked.

Last week, Judge Ncube ruled that a statement made by Xolani Zuma, 38, also accused of murdering Mshibe, in which he admitted his guilt, was inadmissible.

The Mercury