Wife and her brother found guilty of murder of Transnet engineer

The family of slain Transnet electrical engineer Nkosi Langa, who was kidnapped from his Pinetown home in September 2020, has welcomed the conviction of his wife by the Durban high court on Friday.

The court found Nompumelelo Goncalves to have been the mastermind in the plot to murder her husband.

Acting judge Bonke Dumisa, delivering a two-day judgment, convicted Goncalves and her brother Nkosinathi Zungu of the murder. Goncalves who has been out on bail, will now remain in custody after her conviction while Zungu was in custody throughout the marathon trial.

Langa’s sister Zodwa said: “We are grateful that finally justice has been served. We are happy that the two have been found guilty.” 

She doubted her family would reconcile with Goncalves, saying they were not ready. Shortly after Dumisa handed down judgment, Langa family members who packed the gallery could be heard ululating.

The state contended Goncalves had sought assistance from Zungu some time before the murder to kidnap and kill Langa. Zungu had then enlisted James Mashudu “Ramaphosa” Mthimkhulu to kill Langa.

Goncalves had offered money and Langa's Isuzu to Zungu and Mthimkhulu to murder Langa. The tracker unit was removed from the vehicle.

Langa was bundled into his vehicle from his Hampshire Place home in Pinetown on September 29, 2020, allegedly by Zungu and Mthimkhulu.

Evidence led in court also showed the couple was estranged after news surfaced that Langa was in an extramarital relationship with a medical practitioner.

Langa’s remains were found on November 13, 2020.

Police investigations led to the discovery of Langa’s car in Dalton which led to the discovery of his body in Ozwathini.

Mthimkhulu turned state witness together with Phiwayenkosi Mbedu, who had been enlisted to sell the vehicle.

During judgment, Dumisa pointed out how Mthimkhulu — who pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 20 years' imprisonment — had shown remorse towards the Langa family by expressing his wishes to reconcile with the family.

“We don’t have a problem with him [Mthimkhulu] because from that time he had spilt the beans. Yes, what he did brought the family unimaginable grief. He also played a big role in what happened,” said Zodwa.

She said the incident had taken a toll on the family as Langa’s mother had passed away a few days after Goncalves was granted bail.

The accused were also convicted of kidnapping and robbery with aggravating circumstances, while Goncalves was also convicted of defeating the ends of justice.

Dumisa said the state case had proven Zungu was the organiser while Goncalves was the mastermind behind the murder.

The state also proved three previous convictions against Zungu dating back to 2001. They include theft and robbery.

Sentencing proceedings will begin on May 23.

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