A former Mpumalanga police reservist will go to jail for 20 years for the murder of the deputy president of the Swaziland-based People's United Democratic Movement. Dumisani Maduna, 33, was sentenced in the Nelspruit circuit of the North Gauteng High Court on Wednesday. He killed Dr Gabriel Thandokuhle Mkhumane, 48, by shooting him execution-style at the Entokozweni Dam near KaNyamazane on April 2 2008. He also raped a woman who was with Mkhumane three times, and stole the couple's cellphones and the doctor's wallet. He later tried unsuccessfully to draw money at an ATM from Mkhumane's account.
Judge Legodi Phatudi described Maduna as a merciless and cold-blooded murderer. “You had no choice but confess due to the seriousness of the case. The reason for not getting a life sentence is that you pleaded guilty, you were under the influence of alcohol when the crime was committed, and you did not plan the crime," he said.
Maduna was sentenced to six months for assault, 12 years for rape, 10 years for robbery with aggravating circumstances, 20 years for murder, three years - suspended for five years - for attempted theft, six years for kidnapping, three years - suspended for five years - for illegal possession of a firearm, and 18 months for illegal possession of live ammunition. All the sentences will run concurrently, which means he will spend 20 years in jail. But Pudemo president Mario Masuku said the organisation was convinced that Mkhumane had been assassinated and that the rape and robbery were an attempt to disguise the hit as a straightforward crime. “Just because Maduna confessed, the police decided to close the case. Why did he follow Mkhumane and why he did not hand in his service pistol after knocking off duty? Justice was not done here. The Mkhumane family will discuss this matter and we will decide what to do next,” he said outside court.
Mkhumane was a Swazi revolutionary opposed to the absolute monarchy headed by Mswati III. He had been living in exile for 24 years, in Mozambique, Cuba and South Africa. At the time of his death, he was living in White River, where he worked as a paediatrician in Themba Hospital. "A family has lost a father, Swaziland will never get another leader of his calibre, and South Africa has also lost a well-qualified doctor,” said Masuku.
Source: Capital
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