The Esikhaleni Regional Court has sentenced 28-year-old Samkelo Dumisa to two life terms plus 25 years imprisonment for a vicious 2023 attack that left a taxi assistant dead and a taxi boss severely injured.
Dumisa was convicted on multiple charges, including the murder of taxi assistant Sandiso “Rasta” Magwaza, the attempted murder of a taxi boss, and counts of kidnapping and robbery.
The court heard that on 18 November 2023, the owner of a minibus taxi was driving passengers from Empangeni to Ntambanana. Upon reaching the final drop-off point, all passengers except three men disembarked. The trio then produced firearms, bound both the driver and his assistant, Magwaza, with ropes, and forced them to Port Dunford beach. There, the taxi owner was robbed of an undisclosed sum of money.
The attack escalated into extreme violence. The assailants shot and killed Magwaza. They then turned on the taxi boss, strangling and stabbing him multiple times before leaving him for dead on the beach.
Miraculously, the taxi boss regained consciousness two days later. He was discovered by a traditional healer who had visited the beach for rituals and was rushed to a hospital. The body of Sandiso Rasta Magwaza was later found on the seashore of the same beach.
Detectives from the Provincial Taxi Violence Unit identified Samkelo Dumisa as one of the perpetrators. He was subsequently traced and arrested. At the time of his arrest, Dumisa was found in possession of a firearm and ammunition.
While justice has been served for Dumisa, police investigations continue. The tracking and tracing of the two remaining suspects involved in the horrific crime are ongoing.