Two men sentenced to 39 years imprisonment for murder of KZN ward councillor

DURBAN - Two men have been sentenced to 39 years imprisonment for the 2021 murder of a KwaZulu-Natal ward councillor.

Bhekizenzo Mtshali and Lindelani Nsele were sentenced in the Pietermaritzburg High Court for the murder of Mandeni ward councillor, Sibani Mdletshe.

Mdletshe, who was also involved in the taxi industry in the northern KwaZulu-Natal region, was shot more than 20 times at a shopping centre in Mandeni in March 2021.

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA)’s Natasha Ramkisson-Kara said: "Following their guilty plea, the men were sentenced to 25 years imprisonment for murder, 12 years imprisonment for attempted murder, and two years imprisonment for malicious injury to property. Thus, resulting in an effective sentence of 39 years. They were also declared unfit to possess a firearm."