Durban - Killing an Nquthu schoolteacher for R15 000 had cheapened his life, said a Pietermaritzburg High Court judge on Tuesday before he sentenced the self-confessed killer to life imprisonment.
Judge David Ntshangase found no reason not to give Sibongiseni Mdakane the toughest sentence for killing Vusi Ntombela, who had also been the Speaker of the Nquthu local municipality, east of Dundee.
Mdakane has been sentenced to an additional 18 years for killing Elizabeth Nhleko, 12, a pupil caught in the crossfire, and eight years, for the attempted murder of another pupil, Bongimusa Cele, 12, who was also injured in the attack at Luvisi Primary in Nquthu on June 2.
The sentence has been welcomed by Ntombela’s family, friends and colleagues and by First Lady Thobeka Madiba-Zuma, who was also present in court with ANC members.
Madiba-Zuma said the sentence would send a message to the community at large and the country that if one committed such crimes, hefty sentences would be meted out.
The regional chairman of the ANC in the Moses Mabhida region, Super Zuma, echoed her sentiment, adding that while the sentence would not bring back Ntombela, it might bring comfort to his family.
His brother, Simphiwe Ntombela, said he would like to see all the conspirators brought to book.
“I don’t believe this is the end of the road.
“We hope Khambule will reveal more information as to the whole plot. There is more to it than what we see and are told. We want justice to be done.”
Mdakane, in his guilty plea, had accused a man called Mbhekiseni Khambule - who has since been arrested - of the murder.
He told the court Khambule asked him to kill the teacher, believing Ntombela had hired people to kill Khambule. He wanted Ntombela killed “to protect himself”.
On the day of the murder, Mdakane said, Khambule gave him a pistol and promised to pay him R15 000 before dropping him off at the school.
Mdakane had gone to the classroom and called the teacher outside, pretending to be looking for a job. He had then pointed a firearm at him and Ntombela had run back into the classroom. Mdakane followed, firing four shots, before leaving.
The judge said the evidence before court was that Ntombela’s wife and children had suffered great trauma because of his death.
Payment of debts had been delayed and the children who had planned to go to tertiary institutions no longer had the same prospects.
He said Ntombela had been the deputy headmaster of the school, meaning the school community had also suffered.
“The life of the deceased was taken for a mere R15 000. The accused is the type of person who would not let anything stand between him and money - even if to access the money he had to kill, he would. He has done so. The life of the deceased was cheapened to a mere R15 000.
“If a gun had to be turned on Mdakane, he would run away like a mouse,” said the judge. The comment drew laughter from the gallery.
The Mercury