The Dundee Court has sentenced a 31-year-old man to life imprisonment for the deliberate and fatal shooting of a 37-year-old man.
According to the National Prosecuting Authority’s (NPA) spokesperson Natasha Ramkisson-Kara, the accused, Themba Mthethwa, shot and killed 37-year-old Sfundo Ndaba in February 2023, after the two had attended a funeral in the Pomery area.
Providing further details, Ramkisson-Kara said, “On 11 February 2023, Mthethwa, Ndaba, and a witness, had attended a funeral in the area. After the funeral, the witness was going home when he saw Mthethwa and Ndaba going to a nearby house where alcohol was sold. That evening, the witness was at a local shop when he saw Ndaba approaching from the direction of the place that sold alcohol, and shortly thereafter he saw Mthethwa emerging from the same direction, following Ndaba.”
She continued, “It was then that the witness saw Mthethwa shoot Ndaba in the back, before fleeing the scene. According to the witness, this was done without any altercation at that moment. Ndaba died a few days later, and Mthethwa was arrested.”
It was further noted that before his death, and immediately following the shooting, Ndaba had provided a detailed statement to the police, clearly implicating Mthethwa in the attack.
In court, Prosecutor Jabulile Nomfundo Zondi submitted Ndaba’s statement, which the court admitted as evidence. “Ms. Zondi further led the evidence of the eyewitness, the arresting officer, and the police officer who had taken Ndaba’s statement. Mthethwa was convicted and sentenced accordingly,” Ramkisson-Kara said, adding that the court also declared Mthethwa unfit to possess a firearm.
This case brings to light a contiuned problem claiming lives in South Africa, alchol related violence. The 2023/2024 SAPS annual crime report shows that “liquor-related incidents accounted for 13.4 % of the serious crime cases analysed (i.e. among the “community-reported serious crimes” category).
Additionally, according to ISS / Crime Hub commentary, half of all murders in the country take place over weekends, and many are associated with excessive use of alcohol and/or drugs.
To prove that these claims about alchol’s influence on violence are legitimate, during periods of alcohol prohibition (for example during COVID-19 lockdowns), studies found significant drops in violent injuries / assaults in South Africa, reinforcing a causal link between alcohol availability and violent harm.
Nevertheless, what are your thoughts on the above and be sure to read, Dundee Earthquake: 4.3 Magnitude Tremor Adds to KZN’s Seismic History, if you missed it.
