A Durban mother and daughter have been found guilty of kidnapping and murdering two neighbours.
Newlands residents Slindile Zamisa and her daughter Andile Zamisa were found guilty of kidnapping, killing and dumping the bodies of their neighbour Simangele Simamane and her teenage daughter Sbongakonke Mthembu in October 2020.
They will be sentenced on Thursday.
Slindile's stepdaughter, Nomfundo Ngcobo, and Sthembiso Lamula were sentenced to 20 and six years respectively, for their roles in the case.
The two turned state witness against the two Zamisa women.
Delivering judgment on Friday, the Durban high court said it found the testimonies of the state’s witnesses reliable, adding that there was no reason to believe they would falsely implicate the suspects.
“Lamula impressed the court and implicated himself on his role. There was no reason for him to falsely implicate the accused,” the court said.
“Nomfundo gave a full account of the events that led to the death of the deceased. She did not contradict herself during the cross-examination and made it clear that they left Newlands to evade the police.”
The two had told the court during the trial that Simamane and Mthembu Zamisa were killed in their home in Newlands on October 5, 2020 before their bodies dumped in KwaDabeka.
Ngcobo, who was present during and participated throughout the crime, detailed the events leading up to, and during, the commission of the crime. She said she suspected they killed Simangele because they thought she had had a hand in the murder of Bheki Ngcobo, who was Nomfundo’s father and Slindile’s husband, after a prophecy by a relative.
She also pointed out Slindile Zamisa as a ringleader in the crime and told them to present false statements to the police.
Lamula admitted he had been involved in disposing of the bodies at Slindile's request and drove the vehicle when they fled to Johannesburg.
On the testimonies of the two suspects, Sibisi said: “It is clear that their evidence was rehearsed. It was never disputed that after the kill, accused one (Slindile) schooled all of them.”
The court said Slindile had maintained that she was innocent throughout the trial but could not explain why the witnesses would falsely implicated her.
“Both accused were evasive during cross-examination. Therefore their evidence is rejected as false.
“After looking at the totality of the case, I have no doubt that the state proved their case beyond reasonable doubt.”
Slindile was found guilty on all five charges: two counts of kidnapping and two of murder as well as that of the obstruction of the administration of justice for disposing of the body.
Andile was found guilty on four charges as the court found her innocent of the murder of Sbongakonke.
Defence lawyer Zeera Fareed called for reduced sentences, saying they were both parents and asthmatic. She also called for the court to consider the almost two years they had already spent in custody. They have been in custody since June 2021. She also asked that their respective sentences run concurrently.
Prosecutor Gugu Xulu argued that the gruesome nature of the crime, the impact it had on the victims' family — Simamane's youngest child was two years old — and the Zamisas' denial of the crime showed a lack of remorse and thus deserved a harsh sentence.
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Mother, daughter found guilty of double murder of neighbours
Image: Lwazi Hlangu
A Durban mother and daughter have been found guilty of kidnapping and murdering two neighbours.
Newlands residents Slindile Zamisa and her daughter Andile Zamisa were found guilty of kidnapping, killing and dumping the bodies of their neighbour Simangele Simamane and her teenage daughter Sbongakonke Mthembu in October 2020.
They will be sentenced on Thursday.
Slindile's stepdaughter, Nomfundo Ngcobo, and Sthembiso Lamula were sentenced to 20 and six years respectively, for their roles in the case.
The two turned state witness against the two Zamisa women.
Delivering judgment on Friday, the Durban high court said it found the testimonies of the state’s witnesses reliable, adding that there was no reason to believe they would falsely implicate the suspects.
“Lamula impressed the court and implicated himself on his role. There was no reason for him to falsely implicate the accused,” the court said.
“Nomfundo gave a full account of the events that led to the death of the deceased. She did not contradict herself during the cross-examination and made it clear that they left Newlands to evade the police.”
The two had told the court during the trial that Simamane and Mthembu Zamisa were killed in their home in Newlands on October 5, 2020 before their bodies dumped in KwaDabeka.
Ngcobo, who was present during and participated throughout the crime, detailed the events leading up to, and during, the commission of the crime. She said she suspected they killed Simangele because they thought she had had a hand in the murder of Bheki Ngcobo, who was Nomfundo’s father and Slindile’s husband, after a prophecy by a relative.
She also pointed out Slindile Zamisa as a ringleader in the crime and told them to present false statements to the police.
Lamula admitted he had been involved in disposing of the bodies at Slindile's request and drove the vehicle when they fled to Johannesburg.
On the testimonies of the two suspects, Sibisi said: “It is clear that their evidence was rehearsed. It was never disputed that after the kill, accused one (Slindile) schooled all of them.”
The court said Slindile had maintained that she was innocent throughout the trial but could not explain why the witnesses would falsely implicated her.
“Both accused were evasive during cross-examination. Therefore their evidence is rejected as false.
“After looking at the totality of the case, I have no doubt that the state proved their case beyond reasonable doubt.”
Slindile was found guilty on all five charges: two counts of kidnapping and two of murder as well as that of the obstruction of the administration of justice for disposing of the body.
Andile was found guilty on four charges as the court found her innocent of the murder of Sbongakonke.
Defence lawyer Zeera Fareed called for reduced sentences, saying they were both parents and asthmatic. She also called for the court to consider the almost two years they had already spent in custody. They have been in custody since June 2021. She also asked that their respective sentences run concurrently.
Prosecutor Gugu Xulu argued that the gruesome nature of the crime, the impact it had on the victims' family — Simamane's youngest child was two years old — and the Zamisas' denial of the crime showed a lack of remorse and thus deserved a harsh sentence.
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