ANCYL killer asks for forgiveness

KwaZulu-Natal – One of the men responsible for the murders of ANC Oshabeni branch leaders Dumisani Malunga and Bheko Chiliza, begged their families to forgive him when he pleaded guilty at the Pietermaritzburg High Court on Monday.

Sifiso Khumalo, 31, who was the ANC youth league leader for Oshabeni, Port Shepstone, admitted to Malunga’s murder.

Malunga was shot dead as he travelled home on the evening of September 9. Chiliza, who was a passenger in Malunga’s car, also died.

Khumalo said that while he regretted that Chiliza had also been killed, he had not intended for it to happen.

In his plea to the court, Khumalo said he and Malunga were among four ANC members vying for the position of ward councillor for the Oshabeni area after the death of the previous councillor.

Khumalo revealed that a taxi owner in the area, Hle Cele, had proposed his candidacy for the vacant post and was responsible for canvassing support in his favour.

“Two weeks before the murder, Cele told me that Malunga posed a stumbling block to my election as ward councillor and suggested we kill him. I agreed,” Khumalo said.

They then enlisted Alex Mbhele to assist in the killing.

On the evening of September 9, Khumalo joined Cele and Mbhele in Cele’s taxi. Armed with a gun, they went to Malunga’s home.

Cele and Mbhele got out of the vehicle and went in search of Malunga. Khumalo said he was instructed to leave the area and come back when called.

He drove away, and 30 minutes later he got the call from Cele to pick them up.

“They told me they had shot Malunga and had also shot and killed Chiliza,” Khumalo said.

Cele is in custody, while Mbhele is still at large.

Arguing in mitigation, Khumalo’s legal aid advocate, Ishi Khan, said that Khumalo had played a lesser role in the murder: “My client has expressed remorse… People who take the law into their own hands for the sake of political expediency to eliminate their rivals should not be tolerated. However, it is my submission that my client is capable of rehabilitation,” Khan said.

Khan submitted that Khumalo has also agreed to testify against his co-perpetrators.

State advocate Mbongeni Mthembu argued that this was not just an ordinary murder and that another life, that of Chiliza, was also lost.

“Khumalo was an ANC leader, a role model in the community. He should have led by example, but instead he resorted to murder.”

Mthembu said a lengthy term of imprisonment was the only appropriate sentence so that the court could send a message to society that politically motivated murders would not be tolerated. Khumalo was to be sentenced on Tuesday.

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ANCYL killer asks for forgiveness