Kraaifontein massacre kingpin gets life
HORRIFIC: Mutilated bodies removed from scene near Kraaifontein HORRIFIC: Mutilated bodies removed from scene near Kraaifontein
Cops are patting themselves on the back and for good reason after a vigilante killing ringleader was handed SIX life sentences and 30 years in jail.
Bangikhaya Koni, originally from Eastern Cape but residing in Wallacedene in Kraaifontein, was sentenced in the Western Cape High Court yesterday.
He was convicted on six counts of kidnapping and six counts of murder.
He was sentenced to life imprisonment for each count of murder and five years for each count of kidnapping. His 11 charges will run concurrently.
Koni entered a plea deal with the State and said he lead 16 men from Engcobo, Eastern Cape in the killings.
The State proved that on 9 December 2014, Koni rounded up six young men at a house in Wallacedene.
Zola Gayiya, Emanuel Barnes, Sandile Ngxabela, Sakhele Ngxabela, Lulama Dunga and Mhlanganisi Mljanjeni were then taken to Redhill in Joostenberg Vlakte where they were tied up, stabbed with a sword and other sharp objects, and crushed with rocks and bricks.
The trouble started when the six robbed and killed Tsutsutsu Ntsundu, who was on his way home from work.
Ntsundu, from Engcobo, was a security guard.
Koni alleged that Ntsundu’s brother approached him and offered R3 000 for information on the identity of the killers.
After tracking down the six, the brother told Koni that the killers were gangsters and he offered R10 000 for them to be killed.
State Advocate John Reyneveld said the horrific murders were premeditated.
“The deceased were first tortured for hours before they were eventually loaded into a vehicle and driven to another scene where they were brutally stoned and stabbed to death,” he said.
“They were defenceless at the time of their deaths since their legs were tied and their arms tied behind their backs.
“They were then left naked like animals and were only discovered the following morning.”
Captain FC van Wyk commended detectives attached to Tygerberg Cluster, and the State, for securing a conviction.
“The sentence enhances confidence in the criminal justice system. The discovery of six bodies on an open field in Joostenberg Vlakte sent shockwaves to the community of Kraaifontein in December 2014. The members have done excellent work in this matter and we commend them for their hard work and commitment,” said Van Wyk.