THREE Zululand Grade 12 pupils who admitted to fatally stabbing a man, were each sentenced to 22 years imprisonment by the Pietermaritzburg High Court this week.
Lindani Mhlongo (23), Mzwandile Gumede (19) and Mphikilele Gumede (20) of KwaMbonambi admitted to attacking and robbing a middle aged man, Lucky Khumalo, after he disembarked from a taxi in a township near KwaMbonambi on 30 August.
It is believed that they robbed the man to fund a party.
According to media reports, High Court Judge Anton van Zyl said the incident happened on a Friday and the men possibly thought that the victim was taking home money and parcels for the weekend.
Court reports read that the boys followed him and attacked him in a secluded spot. They left him wounded, but he later succumbed to his injuries. They took his cell phone, cash and clothes.
Upon investigation it was found that each pupil had an Okapi knife, which they said was for their protection as it was a dangerous area.
The boys were arrested and later admitted that they each gained less than R100 from the crime.
Van Zyl found that it was a brutal, unnecessary killing as the pupils were young males who could easily have subdued the middle-aged Khumalo and taken his money and possessions.
However, he found compelling circumstances to deviate from the prescribed life sentence for a gang murder – they were young, had pleaded guilty, were first offenders and could be suitable candidates for rehabilitation.
He sentenced each to 20 years’ imprisonment for the murder. He found no reasons to deviate from the prescribed minimum sentence of 15 years’ for the aggravated robbery. He ordered that 13 years of this sentence run concurrently with the murder term.
