The "most wanted" Glebelands Hostel murders suspect has been sentenced to 10 years in jail after he pleaded guilty to a charge of attempted murder on Tuesday.
Bongani Mbhele, 33, was sentenced at the Scottburgh Regional Court for the attempted murder of Thobile Mazongolo Jamani, Lieutenant Colonel Thulani Zwane told News24.
Mbhele shot and wounded Jamani at about 05:30 on September 30, 2016 at the hostel's Block 52, Zwane said.
"The accused was arrested on 30 April at his homestead in Umthwalume," said Zwane.
Mbhele appeared at the Umlazi Magistrate's Court on Wednesday, May 2, for a separate attempted murder case of Fezeka Njiyelo, 29, who was shot and wounded in 2016 at the Glebelands Hostel.
Counts of murder
He will appear again in court for Njiyelo's attempted murder case on May 10, said Zwane.
Zwane added that Mbhele would likely be charged with two counts of murder, in connection with the killing of two Glebelands Hostel residents at Montclair in 2015.
"The suspect will also be charged with two counts of murder where two Glebelands Hostel residents were killed at Montclair in 2015," Zwane said.
Zwane said William Mthembu and Thokozani Machi were allegedly shot dead by Mbhele on September 12, 2015, when they were exiting a supermarket in Montclair in Durban.
He said Mbhele then fled the scene in a getaway vehicle.
"A murder docket was opened at the Montclair police station. It was immediately established that the victims were from the Glebelands Hostel and that their murder was linked to the tensions in the hostel at that time and the detective task team immediately took over the investigation," he said.
Zwane said Mbhele was expected to join seven other suspects accused of 20 charges, including nine counts of murder, that also occurred at the hostel between August 2014 and March 2016.
Six of the seven men, including a detective from the Durban Central police station, were denied bail by the Durban Magistrate's Court on April 26.
Some of the other charges they faced include racketeering, conspiracy to commit murder, extortion and unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition.
Detective Sergeant Bhekukwazi Louis Mdweshu, Ncomekile "Matlala" Ntshangase, Khayelihle "Mroza" Mbuthuma, Eugene Wonderboy Hlophe, Mbuyiselwa "Mahliphiza" Mkhize, Vukani Mcobothi and Mondli Talente Mthethwa will appear again in court on May 31.
Mthethwa abandoned his bail application.
On April 3, the Durban Regional Court sentenced Mbuthuma to life imprisonment for the "contract-style" killing of Sibongile Princess Mtshali, 52, who was shot dead while in her room at the hostel on July 26 last year.
More than 100 people have died as a result of the violence over the allocation of beds and rooms at the hostel.
During the Moerane Commission into political killings in the province, the hostel was described as a "reservoir" of hitmen.
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