The Eastern Cape Division of the High Court held sentencing proceedings in Burgersdorp in Limpopo, where 52-year-old Nokuzola Nxilolo and 44-year-old Mzamo Ciko were sentenced on two counts of murder and conspiracy to commit murder.
Police reports suggest that the pair received five years’ imprisonment for conspiracy to commit murder and life imprisonment for murder.
The sentences relate to the murder of 51-year-old Sindezama Nxilolo, who was shot and killed on 3 July 2017 at his residence in Camelia Street, Eureka Location, Burgersdorp.
At the time, the victim was employed as a traffic officer at the Walter Sisulu Local Municipality.
“Investigations revealed that Nokuzola Nxilolo, who was married to the victim, was involved in a romantic relationship with Mzamo Ciko. The victim was seen as an obstacle to their relationship, which led to the hiring of a hitman from Cape Town. On the night of the incident, the hitman was taken to the victim’s home by Ciko, where he shot the victim seven times at close range before fleeing the scene.
“The hitman, Lungile Ntungwana, was arrested in 2017 and later convicted on 1 September 2021, receiving a sentence of 25 years’ imprisonment. He later became a state witness in the case against the other two accused. Following further investigation, detectives gathered critical evidence that led to the arrest of Nxilolo and Ciko in Khayelitsha, Cape Town, in 2022,” the statement reads.
The report said the couple was remanded in custody after appearing in the Burgersdorp Magistrate’s Court while the matter was transferred to the Makhanda High Court.