Two S.A men bag life imprisonment for burning friend alive

Two South African men from the KwaZulu-Natal province have been sentenced to life imprisonment for the gruesome murder of their friend whom they allegedly burnt to death.

The duo, alongside a third, who will spend 25 years behind bars, allegedly killed the victim after they discovered he was involved in a relationship with one of their girlfriends.

Lindokuhle Jonas Nkosi, 22, and Andile Mzala Dlamini, 27, were sentenced to life imprisonment for murder and 15 years imprisonment for robbery in the Pietermaritzburg high court on Friday. The sentences will run concurrently.

Sphamandla Nelson Nxumalo, 29, was sentenced to 25 years imprisonment for murder and 12 years imprisonment for robbery.

Police spokesperson Capt Nqobile Gwala said in November 2018, the badly burnt body of Nhlonipho Edgar Madinane, 34, was found near a Utrecht farm, in northern KwaZulu-Natal.

“His legs and hands were tied up, and his mouth was gagged. A team of detectives from Utrecht SAPS and the Amajuba task team identified the perpetrators and three accused were arrested in the Madadeni and Utrecht areas.

“It was then established that the deceased was in a relationship with one of the accused’s girlfriends.

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“During the course of the investigation, it was established that the deceased was drinking with friends when they turned against Madinane and strangled him. They drove to a farm, where they met another accused,” Gwala said.

It emerged during the court case that the trio used a hosepipe and curtains to gag Madinane.

“They drove to a service station in Utrecht, where they bought petrol using the deceased's cash and drove back to the farm, where they set him alight.

“They robbed him of his vehicle and other items, such as a laptop, tablet, cellphone, and money.

“The accused sold the cellphones and took the vehicle to Vlakfontein, where it was sold to an unknown male.

“The post mortem established that the deceased was still alive when he was burnt,” said Gwala.