Hitman Jailed for Life After Killing KZN ANC Councillor Zakhele Khuzwayo

Conviction marks another win for police political task team

A 28-year-old man found guilty of gunning down ANC councillor Zakhele Shezi Khuzwayo has been sentenced to life behind bars, marking another chapter in KwaZulu-Natal’s ongoing struggle with political violence.

Phathisakhe Thuthukani Ngiba, the man at the centre of the case, was sentenced at the Ntuzuma Magistrate’s Court on Friday, 18 July 2025. The court found him guilty of executing the councillor while he sat in his car in September 2022.

A region scarred by political assassinations

KwaZulu-Natal has long been plagued by politically motivated killings. Councillors, candidates and activists—especially those in rural municipalities, often operate under the looming threat of violence. Khuzwayo, who served under the KwaMaphumulo Municipality, became yet another victim in this disturbing trend.

According to police, the SAPS Political Task Team, which was established to tackle such crimes, led the investigation that ultimately secured Ngiba’s conviction. The same team recently achieved another major victory with the conviction of Sibusiso Ncengwa, who confessed to being part of the group that murdered former ANC Youth League leader Sindiso Magaqa in 2017.

Not his first brush with political violence

Ngiba’s case doesn’t end with Khuzwayo’s murder. He’s also one of the accused in another high-profile political shooting, this time in Cato Crest, where ANC candidate Siyabonga Mkhize and member Mzukisi Nyanga were ambushed. That case is still underway.

The court declared Ngiba unfit to ever possess a firearm again, citing the violent nature of his crimes and his disregard for human life.

“You showed no regard for life”

Judge Nontuthuzelo Mlaba didn’t mince words when handing down the sentence. Addressing Ngiba and referencing similar cases like that of Magaqa, she emphasised the consequences of contract killings:

“Your conduct in agreeing to take the life of a person demonstrates a clear disregard for human life. The right to life is currently one that you enjoy, but one that you took away from the deceased and for selfish reasons.”

She added that families of the murdered would carry the emotional burden forever:

“The deceased had a family. He had young children who will forever be denied the privilege of having a present father.”

A wider pattern of bloodshed

Police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe revealed that since July 2018, more than 130 individuals have been convicted in cases linked to political killings. That figure includes both hitmen and the people who ordered the hits.

While these recent convictions mark progress, they also underscore the systemic crisis of political violence in South Africa, one where elected officials risk their lives simply by serving.

Public frustration mounts

On social media, South Africans expressed both relief and anger.

“We want justice, not just convictions. When will this violence end?” one user posted on X (formerly Twitter).
Another wrote, “At least one more killer is off our streets. But what about the people funding these hits?”

As the trial continues in the Cato Crest murder case, and with political tensions rising ahead of upcoming municipal reshuffles, law enforcement faces pressure to intensify efforts to dismantle networks behind these killings, not just the hitmen, but the masterminds as well.

Until then, the cycle of violence threatens to continue, unless justice isn’t just served, but seen to be done.

{Source: The Citizen}

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