Durban — Four years after the brutal murder of 16-year-old Andile ‘Bobo’ Mbuthu, his killers have been sentenced to life imprisonment.
Mbuthu was accused of stealing alcohol from Mlungisi Thabethe’s Magagula Lounge in the Hambanathi area of oThongathi, in April 2020.
According to KwaZulu-Natal National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Natasha Ramkisson-Kara: “The Verulam Regional Court sentenced Andile Nhleko, 27, Mncedisi Mzobe, 27, and Lindani Ndlovu, 26, to life and various terms of imprisonment for murder and kidnapping.
“Their co-accused, Malusi Mthembu, 27, was sentenced to 12 years imprisonment for murder and three years imprisonment for the kidnapping.”
Nhleko, Mzobe, Ndlovu and Mthembu were out on bail before being found guilty in July. Initially, seven suspects were arrested for Mbuthu’s murder, including a minor.
Siyanda Msweli, 26, was acquitted of both the murder and kidnapping charges. Thabethe, another co-accused, was gunned down in his VW Polo in 2021 before the start of the trial.The minor became a state witness.
A video of the aftermath of Mbuthu’s torture and assault went viral on social media at the time of his murder, causing an uproar in the community. The tavern Mbuthu was alleged to have stolen from was set alight.
Mbuthu had been missing for a week before his remains were found in the uThongathi River. DNA samples from the remains found matched Mbuthu’s DNA.
Detailing what led to the victim’s kidnapping and murder, Ramkisson-Kara said Mbuthu was interrogated and he eventually admitted to taking the alcohol.
Ramkisson-Kara said that after the alcohol was recovered, the boy was kept in a room on the premises, and the other accused were called. They assaulted the boy with different objects such as a sjambok, golf clubs and wooden sticks. They took turns assaulting him for over four hours.
At one point, Mbuthu’s sister arrived after hearing that her brother was being assaulted.
Ndlovu told her to fetch clean clothes for the boy so he could be taken to the hospital. But when she returned, they told her Mbuthu had escaped.
By then the accused had loaded Mbuthu’s body into a bakkie.
They attended Thabethe’s braai and birthday celebration. After the celebration, Nhleko, Mzobe and Ndlovu went to another area where they burned the body. The following morning, Nhleko dismembered the body and placed it into a bag. The remains were dumped in a nearby river.
“Thabethe was initially arrested, followed by his co-accused,” Ramkisson-Kara said.
In court, Prosecutor Nthuthuko Sidwell Mngadi led the evidence of a Section 204 witness who was present at the offence. Further, the state led the evidence of another person who was also suspected of stealing the alcohol but was interrogated and released.
Mbuthu’s sister told the court how she had gone to the premises and was told her brother escaped. The SAPS official who was present when the remains were found also testified in court.
Ramkisson-Kara said that in aggravation of sentence, Mngadi presented a Victim Impact Statement compiled by Mbuthu’s mother and facilitated by Court Preparation Officer, Bongiwe Qwabe.
In her statement, the mother said she was still traumatised by the incident and following the incident, a video of her son being assaulted was circulated on social media and this hurt her even more.
“Nhleko and Mzobe were sentenced to life imprisonment for murder and three years imprisonment for kidnapping,” Ramkisson-Kara said.
“Ndlovu was sentenced to life imprisonment for murder and four years imprisonment for kidnapping.
“Mthembu was sentenced to 12 years imprisonment for murder and three years imprisonment for kidnapping,” Ramkisson-Kara continued.
“In sentencing Mthembu, the court deviated to a lesser sentence, finding that he had left the premises at some stage during the assault and did not participate in the burning and dismembering of the deceased. The court convicted him on the principle of common purpose but found that he had only played an initial role in the offence.”
In addition, the accused were also declared unfit to possess a firearm.
Ramkisson-Kara added that the NPA welcomed the successful finalisation of the matter.
“The public is cautioned not to take the law into their own hands but rather consult the authorities in similar situations.”
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