In a landmark ruling, the Pietermaritzburg High Court has sentenced two men to life imprisonment for a violent crime spree that included the murder of a taxi owner’s wife and the attempted murder of the owner himself. Zakhele Bhobho Nkosi (35) and Simphokuhle Ayanda Mathe (30) were handed their sentences on Monday, 18 August 2025.
The court found the pair guilty on multiple charges, including the murder of the woman, the attempted murder of her husband, robbery with aggravating circumstances, and the unlawful possession of prohibited firearms and ammunition. Their combined sentences total 90 years in addition to their life terms.
The grim sequence of events began on 13 March 2021, when Nkosi and Mathe forced their way into the taxi owner’s home in the Emakholweni area of Nongoma. The victim, a member of the local taxi association, had just arrived home and was using an outside pit latrine, entering via the back door.
While he was outside, the two assailants ransacked the house, confronted his wife, and robbed her of an undisclosed amount of cash. They then shot her twice in the head before fleeing the scene. The taxi owner was targeted again months later, on 17 December 2021, when he survived a hail of bullets upon arriving home.
The case was assigned to the Provincial Taxi Violence Unit. Their investigation led to the first breakthrough with the arrest of Zakhele Bhobho Nkosi. He was apprehended while traveling in a minibus taxi in Ulundi and was found in possession of a firearm with its serial number filed off, along with 15 rounds of ammunition.
Ballistic analysis later confirmed that this firearm had been stolen from a police officer. The officer, a Sergeant from the Ulundi Public Order Police, had been robbed by suspects in a minibus taxi on the R66 Road in Ulundi. The robbery occurred while he was awaiting assistance after his private vehicle broke down while he was traveling home from duty.
Further investigation led to the arrest of the second accused, Simphokuhle Ayanda Mathe. He was also found in possession of a firearm with an erased serial number, which was positively linked to both the murder and the attempted murder in Emakholweni.
Police detectives built a solid case and successfully opposed all bail applications from the accused throughout the legal process.
Sentencing Breakdown:
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Zakhele Bhobho Nkosi received life imprisonment for murder, 20 years for robbery with aggravating circumstances (of the wife), 20 years for the robbery of a police officer with aggravating circumstances, 15 years for unlawful possession of a prohibited firearm, and five years for unlawful possession of ammunition.
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Simphokuhle Ayanda Mathe was sentenced to life imprisonment for murder, 15 years for robbery with aggravating circumstances, and 15 years for the attempted murder of the taxi owner.
Both men will effectively spend the rest of their lives behind bars.