Durban — The men convicted of the murder of an oThongathi teenager whose remains were stuffed into a bag that was filled with bricks and tossed into a river, will have spent a little over two months behind bars when they appear again in the Verulam Magistrate’s Court in October to be sentenced.
When Andile Nhleko, 27, Mncedisi Mzobe, 27, Lindani Ndlovu, 26, and Malusi Mthembu, 27 were convicted for the 2020 murder of Andile 'Bobo' Mbuthu, 16, in July they had been out on bail. Siyanda Msweli, 26, was acquitted of both the murder and kidnapping charges. At the time the matter was adjourned for pre-sentencing reports.
However, on Tuesday, the case was postponed to October for sentencing since presiding Magistrate Sanele Hlatshwayo also acts as a judge and had another matter in the Durban High Court.
Mbuthu was killed during the Covid-19 lockdown. His killers accused him of stealing alcohol from a local tavern.
Seven men were arrested for his murder, including a minor. However, one of them, Mlungisi Thabethe, 26, who was the owner of the Magagula’s Lounge from which Mbuthu had allegedly stolen alcohol, was gunned down in his VW Polo in 2021.
The minor became a State witness. He testified that Mbuthu’s body was placed into a van, and then the accused went to Thabethe’s house where they had a braai celebrating Thabethe’s birthday. Mbuthu’s body remained in the van.
The accused then travelled to Bhamshela, the home of Thabethe’s parents, where the body was put into a drum and burnt.
The court is expected to make a ruling on whether to grant the minor immunity from prosecution.
A video of the aftermath of Mbuthu’s torture and assault went viral on social media at the time of his murder, causing an uproar in the community. The tavern Mbuthu was alleged to have stolen from was set alight.
He had been missing for a week before his remains were found in the uThongathi River. DNA samples taken from the remains found matched Mbuthu’s DNA.
The teen was assaulted with a golf stick, a hockey stick, a plank, and a sjambok. His charred remains were dismantled using a pick before they were put into two bags that were stuffed with bricks before being tossed into the river.
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