Durban — The father of a teen who was stabbed to death by a hitman – who had been paid to kill him – has welcomed the sentence handed down to his son’s murderer.
Lindumusa Malembe was recently sentenced to 24 years’ imprisonment by the Durban High Court for the murder of Minenhle Gwala, 16, who was killed in the house where he and his mother were tenants.
Malembe killed the teen three months after he had intervened in a physical altercation between the accused and their landlady, Ntombifikile Luthuli, who had previously been in a relationship with Malembe.
During the trial, Malembe pleaded not guilty. His defence was that he had intended to kill the boy’s father; not the teen.
Minenhle’s father, Sthembiso Ndlovu, said on Monday: “I am happy with the sentence given for killing my son. Even though I feel that justice has been done, we are only halfway there because Minenhle’s mother still has to see her day in court. The accused testified in court how she hired him to kill me, how she paid him R35 000 for this. If she had not brought this man into our lives my son would be alive today.”
Malembe had been in a relationship with Luthuli, which had ended sometime before Minenhle’s killing.
In the late hours of February 23, 2021, Luthuli arrived at her KwaDabeka home to find Malembe waiting outside, demanding the key to enter the house to collect his belongings.
While Malembe was outside the premises, Minenhle entered the house. Malembe then entered the house, locked the kitchen and dining room doors, produced a knife and tried to bind Luthuli’s hands.
She resisted and was cut on her hands in the process, Minenhle joined Luthuli to ward off Malembe who managed to break away and flee.
On May 9, 2021, Malembe armed himself with a bag of tools, including a knife, and gained access to Luthuli’s premises.
He entered the room where Minenhle was on the bed and assaulted and stabbed him several times. The teen died at the scene.
Following this Malembe woke Luthuli up, tied her hands and feet, and taped her mouth with sellotape.
He injured her on the hand and leg with the knife and then showed her what he had done to Minenhle before professing his love and fleeing. Malembe handed himself over to the police five days later.
Ndlovu said that five days before his son’s murder, Malembe had approached him telling him that his ex-fiancée (Minenhle’s mother) had paid him R35 000 to kill him.
After hearing about the plot to end his life, he took Malembe with him to the KwaDabeka police station to open a case as he had claimed he was not a killer but had spent the money.
Days after they had opened the conspiracy to commit murder case with police, Malembe killed the Grade 10 pupil.
“Evidence is being collected, I have given the police all that I have concerning the plot to have me killed including voice notes from the accused,” said Ndlovu.
The Daily News has heard the voice notes where Malembe states he was afraid of Ndlovu’s ex-fiancée should she find out he had spent the R35000.
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