Taxi Violence Shooter Handed Effective 25-Year Prison Term After NPA Conviction
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has successfully secured a combined sentence of 300 years’ imprisonment for 29-year-old Halalisani Mchunu in the Gauteng Division of the High Court in Johannesburg.
Due to the sentences running concurrently, Mchunu will serve an effective 25 years behind bars.
Mchunu pleaded guilty to seven counts of murder, 17 counts of attempted murder, possession of prohibited firearms, and unlawful possession of ammunition.
The charges stem from a deadly series of taxi-violence-related shootings across Gauteng between July 2023 and August 2024.
He entered into a formal plea-and-sentence agreement with the State under Section 105A of the Criminal Procedure Act.
The court handed down the following individual terms, which total 300 years but will run concurrently:25 years’ imprisonment for each of the seven counts of murder, 25 years’ imprisonment for the possession of prohibited firearms, 15 years’ imprisonment for the unlawful possession of ammunition and 5 years’ imprisonment for each of the 17 counts of attempted murder.
The violent spree spanned multiple areas, including Lehae, Eikenhof, Midrand, Johannesburg Central, and Kagiso, leaving seven people dead and numerous others wounded.
On 12 July 2023 (Lehae & Eikenhof), Mchunu and his accomplices opened fire at the Lehae Taxi Rank, wounding three people. Later that day, they ambushed a vehicle on the R554 in Eikenhof, killing taxi patrollers Bongumusa Xolani Garu, Nkosinathi Siphamandla Ndlovu, Mzwandile Goodman Mthembu, and Msawakhe Mtshali, while injuring a fifth patroller.
On 20 August 2024 (Midrand) the attackers targeted rival taxi associations, security personnel, and bystanders in Midrand, injuring four people and riddling multiple vehicles with bullets.
On 22 August 2024 (Johannesburg Central & Kagiso) taxi patroller Nkosinathi Emmanuel Mcwabe was assassinated at the Noord Taxi Rank. Hours later, the gunmen opened fire outside the Kagiso Police Station, killing off-duty police officer Nthabiseng Bridget Mosidi and taxi owner Mthokozisi Nkosinathi Ndlela.
The breakthrough came on 30 August 2024, when SAPS members, led by Warrant Officer Albert Stanford, raided a property in Toekomsrus, Randfontein.
Police recovered two AK-47-type rifles and 138 rounds of ammunition. Ballistic testing linked one of the weapons directly to the crime scenes, while cellphone data definitively placed Mchunu at the locations of the shootings.
During the proceedings, Senior State Advocate Vuyolwethu Mbaduli emphasized the devastating toll of Mchunu’s actions.
The shootings claimed the lives of primary breadwinners, leaving minor children without parental support.
Furthermore, the State argued that the violence terrorized innocent commuters and created an atmosphere of fear in communities reliant on public transport.
The plea agreement was finalized after balancing the severity of the crimes against Mchunu’s personal circumstances and the benefits of avoiding a lengthy, costly trial for the victims’ families.
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