Durban - A triple murder accused who killed two people in the Eastwood area in Pietermaritzburg last month during a hijacking, then turned on his accomplice and fatally shot him, was handed an effective 30-year sentence Monday.
One of the hijack victims was declared dead at the scene, while the second one succumbed to gunshot injuries in hospital.
Magma Security and Investigations was involved in the apprehension of the suspect.
The Mercury reported at the time of the incident that members of Magma received a report of the hijacking of a black Audi A3 in Eastwood and, on the same day, spotted the vehicle travelling along the N3.
Owner of Magma Security Shaheen Suleiman said as the perpetrators attempted to flee the area, they fired shots at the other motorists to clear their path of escape.
Suleiman said after the stolen vehicle crashed into a truck on the N3, the two suspects abandoned the vehicle and fled on foot to a nearby farm in the Bellevue area.
He said Magma members and police conducted a search for them, and one suspect was arrested.
Suleiman said Ayanda Buthelezi was sentenced by the Pietermaritzburg High Court on Monday.
“Ayanda Buthelezi shot and killed his co-accused after they committed a double murder and hijacked a motor vehicle in the Eastwood area on Thursday February 2, 2023,” he said.
National Prosecuting Authority(NPA) regional spokesperson Natasha Ramkisson-Kara confirmed the conviction.
Ramkisson-Kara said Buthelezi received a 30-year sentence for each of the three counts of murder, 15 years for robbery with aggravating circumstances, 15 years for unlawful possession of a prohibited firearm and 15 years for the unlawful possession of a firearm.
The sentences are to run concurrently.
“The effective sentence is 30 years imprisonment,” said Ramkisson-Kara.