Despite backtracking on his confession, the court found the accused was guilty of murdering Zondi for political reasons.
The family of murdered ward councillor Nompumelelo Zondi, 45, had to wait eight years for justice, but it finally came in the form of a life sentence for the man who assassinated her.
The Dundee Regional Court this week sentenced 37-year-old Sihle Acute Dlamini for the murder that took place in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) back in March 2016, which turned out to be a paid political hit.
Zondi, who was a National Freedom Party (NFP) ward councillor in the Nhlanhleni area – under the Msinga Municipality – was shot dead in her vehicle outside her home. The car’s ignition was still running when she was discovered and there were no witnesses.
Fingerprints linked seven years later
National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) regional spokesperson in KwaZulu-Natal, Natasha Ramkisson-Kara said Dlamini had fled after shooting the ward councillor in the head, though his fingerprints were found on the scene.
“Dlamini was arrested sometime in 2023 after his fingerprints (found on the scene) linked him to the shooting. Upon his arrest, Dlamini had made a confession, however, he later denied the confession,” Ramkisson-Kara said.
In the initial confession, the accused said he was paid R2 500 for the hit.
In the state’s case, Advocate Elvis Gcweka led the testimonies of 10 witnesses including a fellow party member of Zondi’s, as well as the South African Police Service (Saps) members who investigated the crime scene and took the fingerprints.
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Gcweka also led evidence that Zondi was killed due to tensions within the National Freedom Party (NFP) in that area.
In aggravation of sentence, Gcweka led the evidence of one of Zondi’s family members who testified that Zondi was the breadwinner for the entire family.
She also paid for the tertiary education for younger family members who have had to drop out of university due to lack of funds, following her death.
In addition to the life sentence, Dlamini was also declared unfit to possess a firearm.
Ramkisson-Kara said the National Prosecuting Authority welcomes the sentence and commends the successful partnership between the prosecution, the political killings task Team in KZN and other stakeholders.
“We trust that sentences of this nature will deter like-minded individuals,” she said.
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