DA councillor Nhlalayenza Ndlovu’s killers handed life sentences

· The South African

Two men have been sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of Democratic Alliance (DA) uMngeni Local Municipality Chief Whip Nhlalayenza Ndlovu.

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Khayelihle Shabalala and Thabo Mathonsi were sentenced by the Pietermaritzburg Regional Court on Thursday, 3 September, after pleading guilty to murder and conspiracy to commit murder.

Ndlovu was shot and killed at his home in Mpophomeni, near Howick, on 5 December 2023, in front of his wife and children. His murder was investigated by the KwaZulu-Natal Political Killings Task Team (PKTT).

NHLALAYENZA NDLOVU’S KILLERS SENTENCED

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) said the two accused detailed their respective roles in the planning and execution of the murder in their plea statements.

According to the NPA, Shabalala said that in November 2023, he received a call from Mathonsi informing him that an individual wanted another person killed.

A conference call was subsequently held between the accused and the person who had allegedly commissioned the murder. During the call, the individual allegedly described the intended victim as problematic and said he was interfering with certain activities.

Shabalala said Mathonsi later informed him that arrangements had been made to kill Nhlalayenza Ndlovu in Howick. He was allegedly told that Ndlovu was interfering with the sale of land and plots and needed to be eliminated.

Shabalala was promised R30 000 for carrying out the murder and subsequently recruited an accomplice to assist him.

Armed with firearms, Shabalala and his accomplice went to Ndlovu’s residence.

According to his plea statement, Shabalala did not fire his weapon because the confined space made it difficult for him to do so. His accomplice allegedly shot Ndlovu before the pair fled the scene.

Shabalala later informed Mathonsi that the mission had been completed and received money through a bank deposit.

“After the murder, Shabalala informed Chonco that the mission had been completed and later received R24 000 through a bank deposit. In his plea, Shabalala mentioned that only after the murder was committed did he realise that it was Ndlovu who was killed,” NPA spokesperson Natasha Ramkisson-Kara said.

Mathonsi admitted in his plea statement that he facilitated the murder after being approached by another individual to arrange a killing.

He contacted Shabalala to execute the plan and, following the murder, received R30 000 from the person who had commissioned the killing. He retained R6 000 and transferred the remainder to Shabalala.

The court previously heard that Shabalala was unaware that the intended victim was a DA councillor until after the killing.

Shabalala was arrested in December 2024, while Mathonsi was subsequently arrested while already in custody on unrelated matters.

Both men admitted that their conduct was unlawful and intentional and amounted to murder, despite neither of them personally discharging the firearm that killed Ndlovu.

The court sentenced both men to life imprisonment and declared them unfit to possess firearms.

The magistrate described Nhlalayenza Ndlovu’s killing as a planned and financially motivated contract killing, saying the seriousness of the offence outweighed the accused men’s guilty pleas and cooperation with the State.

The DA in KZN welcomed the decision and said it is relieved that justice has been served.

CASE AGAINST CO-ACCUSED CONTINUES

The case against the remaining accused is still ongoing.

Two other men, including Chief Simphiwe Zuma, who has been identified by investigators as the alleged mastermind, remain before the courts. Zuma has been accused of orchestrating the murder, while Thabani Hlongwa has been linked to the case as an alleged spotter.

A fifth accused, Menelisi Zuma, was arrested in August 2026 in connection with the murder and is facing a separate bail application.

The NPA has commended the prosecution team, the KwaZulu-Natal Political Killings Task Team and other law-enforcement agencies involved in the investigation.

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