By Joe Udo
PRETORIA (CONVERSEER) – The Pietermaritzburg High Court has handed a double life sentence to convicted hitman Sabelo Phewa for the murder of former Richmond Municipal Manager, Sibusiso Sithole, bringing closure to a case that has unsettled KwaZulu-Natal’s local governance sector for years.
Phewa was found guilty of fatally shooting Sithole at the Richmond Licensing Office in 2017. Sithole had been on his way to a council meeting to discuss matters linked to an ongoing investigation into alleged fraud, corruption, tender manipulation, and kickback schemes within the Richmond Local Municipality. His killing was widely viewed as an attack on efforts to confront entrenched corruption.
The South African Police Service (SAPS) Political Killings Task Team took over the investigation in 2018. Their work led to Phewa’s arrest, during which officers recovered a firearm that was later forensically linked to several murders, including the killing of Amos Ngcobo.
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Investigators established that Ngcobo’s wife ordered his murder; she later turned state witness and received a five-year sentence.
On Monday, 9 December, the High Court issued the following sentences against Phewa:
Life imprisonment for the murder of Municipal Manager Sibusiso Sithole.
Life imprisonment for the murder of Amos Ngcobo.
Five years’ imprisonment for the attempted murder of police officers during his arrest.
Fifteen years’ imprisonment for possession of an unlicensed firearm.
Five years’ imprisonment for unlawful possession of ammunition.
The Political Killings Task Team (PKTT) welcomed the ruling, describing it as a significant breakthrough in ongoing efforts to curb politically motivated violence in KwaZulu-Natal.
