ANC WELCOMES JAIL TERM FOR KILLER

18 September 2012

The African National Congress (ANC) in KwaZulu-Natal commends the jail term handed down by the Pietermaritzburg High Court to a man who participated in plotting for the killing of an ANC branch leader on the South Coast recently.

Acting Judge Sibusiso Mngomezulu today (18 September 2012) sentenced Sifiso Khumalo to 22 years in jail for killing Comrade Dumisani Malunga, an ANC branch chairman in the Oshabeni, Port Shepstone area.

"The ANC welcomes today's sentence as a breakthrough in the fight against the killing of political leaders in our province. We want to indicate though that the ANC expected a harsher and tougher sentence which would act as deterrent to others with the same motive," said ANC Provincial Secretary, Cde Sihle Zikalala.

Mr Khumalo pleaded guilty to killing Malunga in the Pietermaritzburg High Court on Monday. Cde Malunga and Cde Bheki Chiliza, who was Branch secretary, were killed after returning from the branch meeting. According to a statement by Khumalo for his guilty plea, he and his co-accused Samuel Cele had arranged for a hit man to kill Malunga.

Khumalo has pleaded not guilty to Chiliza's murder while Cele, who pleaded not guilty to both charges, will appear in the Port Shepstone Magistrate's court again on September 19. The assassin is still at large.

"We are confident that the Investigating Officer and the National Prosecuting Authority will work hard in order to secure a life sentence for Samuel Cele" said Zikalala.

Statement issued by Sihle Zikalala, ANC KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Secretary, September 18 2012

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