Lizzy Khethiwe Zondi, and her lover Wilmot Celimpilo Shabangu were sentenced to life imprisonment each at the Pietermaritzburg High Court on Thursday January 18. They had previously been found guilty of the November 2021 murder of a traditional healer in Nkandla.
The deceased was Mzomuhle Zondi, who was 24 years old at the time, said Natasha Ramkisson-Kara, regional spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA).
“Before the incident, Khethiwe, 52, was married to Chief Zondi, and they lived in the Mpotholo area. Following the chief’s death, she was appointed as regent for the Zondi tribe. Since she was romantically involved with her co-accused, Shabangu, 62, she appointed him as an Induna to serve under her, once her husband died,” said Ms Ramkisson-Kara.
“However, due to her improper behaviour, the members of the tribe consulted with the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA), and she was demoted. The deceased, Mzomuhle Zondi, was then appointed as the new regent.”
This angered Kethiwe Zondi and Shabangu, and they conspired to kill Mr Zondi, enlisting the assistance of a hitman known as “Mkhize”, added Ms Ramkisson-Kara.
On the evening of November 10, 2021, they went to one of the buildings in the royal house where they shot and killed Mr Zondi. Thereafter they went into hiding, and while Kethiwe Zondi and Shabangu were arrested a month later in the Msinga area, Mkhize remains at large.
“In court, State Advocate Dan Magwaza led circumstantial evidence as well as the account of an eyewitness. Also, upon her arrest, Khethiwe had made a confession which she later retracted. Following a trial within a trial (on this issue), the confession was admitted in court as evidence. In furtherance of the state’s case, Magwaza handed in a Victim Impact Statement compiled by one of the family members and facilitated by Court Preparation Officer Mandisa Sikakane. The statement describes Khethiwe’s actions as shocking and senseless,” said Ms Ramkisson-Kara.
