A 27-year-old man who killed a Durban Metro policeman in May has been sentenced to an effective 20 years behind bars.
Mzo Ntombela was convicted and sentenced in the Durban High Court for the murder of 50-year-old Captain Zwelakhe Ntombela.
Provincial Hawks spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Simphiwe Mhlongo said Captain Ntombela was shot and killed as he was arriving at his uMlazi home on May 3.
“He was then robbed of his private and service pistols,” he said.
Mhlongo said a case of murder was reported at uMlazi SAPS and the investigation was transferred to the Hawks.
He said Ntombela was arrested in July while hiding in the Msinga area.
“Captain Ntombela’s firearms were recovered at the accused’s homestead at KwaMaphumulo,” he said.
The KwaZulu-Natal Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation Provincial Head, Major General Lesetja Senona welcomed the sentence and commended the members for the good work of presenting a well investigated docket before court.
“Hawks members will deal decisively with police killers in the province. I applaud the excellent work of arresting and securing the conviction within three months after the incident,” he said.
The latest crime statistics showed that a total of 31 police officers were killed in the country during April 2023 and June 2023.
Twenty-one of the officers were off-duty, with the remaining 10 on-duty when they were killed.
The majority of the cop killings took place in Gauteng, followed by KwaZulu-Natal.
Some of the murders took place while they were following up on information, doing crime prevention duties or in pursuit of a vehicle with heavily armed suspects.
IOL News