- A police officer based in the Western Cape has been sentenced to life imprisonment for murder.
- According to his plea explanation, he murdered the victim because of an earlier argument.
- The police officer shot the victim once and, as he fell to the floor, shot him six more times.
A crooked police officer has been sentenced to life imprisonment after he pleaded guilty to murdering a man in Mandela Park, Khayelitsha, in 2018.
The Western Cape High Court sentenced Sergeant Thanduxolo Mbonyana on Thursday.
According to the plea explanation, Mbonyana drove to a house party that his girlfriend Matsepho Manaiwa and her friends - Asanda Magqashela, Tisetso Shaun Molelle, Luli Lusapo and others - were attending.
When he arrived, he found the victim Lusanda Mpumelelo Makosana standing in the kitchen with two of his girlfriend's friends.
"Without any warning, he took out his service pistol and shot Makosana once in the chest," NPA spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila said.
"Makosana fell, and Mbonyana shot him several times more. He shot him seven times in total."
"He then grabbed Makosana by his shoulders, dragged his limp body out of the house and bundled it into his own vehicle.
"He did all this in front of everyone who was in the house. He took his body and his vehicle and dumped them in another part of Mandela Park."
Argument
In his plea explanation, Mbonyana said the murder was because of an earlier argument with Makosana.
Ntabazalila said that Mbonyana then tampered with the crime scene as he attempted to clean the blood with a mop, water and a household cleaner. He also collected and removed cartridges from the crime scene while assuring his girlfriend that she must not panic as he would fix everything.
He then changed his bloodstained clothes and washed them at the crime scene.
Makosana's body was discovered on Sunday morning, 4 March 2018, with his pants pulled halfway down his legs. Mbonyana was arrested in Ekuphumleni, Khayelitsha, soon after.
During sentencing proceedings, prosecutor Dail Andrews told the court that Mbonyana was a police officer who was supposed to uphold the law and protect the vulnerable members of society.
"He tarnished the trust and respected relationship between the police and the public, as they would always say that Makosana was killed by an active SAPS member, with his police-issued firearm, whilst being defenceless and unprotected," Andrews said.
"He acted with premeditation and dolus directus. He acted with clear precision from the time he executed the murder to the time when he changed his clothing and washed it."
Ntabazalila said that after Mbonyana was released on bail in the murder case, he was arrested again in 2019.
"The confessed heavy drinker and cocaine user was arrested again, while on bail, on 3 September 2019, on a charge of robbery with aggravating circumstances.
"He attempted to apply for bail on this latter matter, but it was denied. His bail appeal at the high court on 27 August 2020 was dismissed."
Mbonyana was sentenced to life imprisonment for murder and an additional seven years for defeating the ends of justice. The sentences will run concurrently.
He was also declared unfit to possess a firearm.
"The NPA welcomed the sentence handed down as crimes committed by those expected to uphold the law cannot be tolerated," Ntabazalila said.
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