Durban - In a case of swift justice, an employee has been sentenced to 15 years in jail for the violent murder of his boss last week.
Sthembiso Mzameko, 28, of Cato Crest, pleaded guilty to stabbing Mohamed Shaffie Dawad, 58, six times in his home in Mayville on Wednesday.
In handing down sentence yesterday, Durban Regional Court magistrate Nanette Otto said she took into account Mzameko’s age and that he showed remorse for his actions.
In his statement Mzameko said he was not a violent person and was shocked at what he had done.
Otto added that Mzameko had worked with police throughout the investigations.
Prosecutor Shayna Naidoo said he bit the hand that fed him. She said Dawad had taken him into his care and he (Mzameko) betrayed his trust. She told the court that Mzameko was a danger to society.
Mzameko told the court that Dawad did not pay him for the work he had carried out during the week.
Otto said the post-mortem report stated that Dawad was stabbed in his stomach and chest while he was sleeping on his couch.
“The penetrating wound in his hand suggests that he had got up and tried to defend himself, but he (Mzameko) continued to stab him further.
“His family has lost income and a father,” Otto said.
Mayville police Detective Warrant Officer David Nzama established that Dawad was stabbed with a knife taken from the kitchen.
The knife was found next to Dawad’s body.
Nzama told the court that Mzameko had agreed to co-operate with them in the investigations.
“He is formerly of Potchefstroom and was living with relatives at the Cato Crest informal settlement,” said Nzama.
Mzameko was arrested by security guards in Dawad’s garage with a bloodstained shirt. Dawad was found by his son, Riaz, in a pool of blood, sprawled on the floor of the lounge.
On the day, Riaz had come to fetch his son.
He said when he entered the complex he saw his father’s employee seated in the garage acting strangely.
“My father had seen him (Mzameko) begging on the streets and had hired him about four months ago to conduct odd jobs around their premises. We gave him a place to sleep in the garage and paid him a salary. His actions have shocked me,” Dawad junior said.
Mayville Community Police Forum chairman Sam Adams said the murder was a callous act. He said the sentencing was welcomed.
“The community should be made aware that hiring of casual labour without properly screening your employee can prove fatal. People tend to forget this and hire anyone off the street who they believe they can trust,” said Adams.
Dawad’s brother Hashim said the family was still shaken by the death and said the sentencing would not bring back his brother, but would help them find closure.
Daily News