The man who hired a hitman to kill his wife and the mother of his two children will spend 20 years in jail. The Mthunzini High Court in KwaZulu Natal sentenced Zwelithini Ngcobo today and the hitman received 18 years behind bars. The hitman who turned state witness confessed to the murder in 2022, months after Ngcobo's wife was killed.
JEALOUS HUSBAND
Thumamina Cele (36), who was a teacher from Mandeni in the north of KwaZulu Natal was killed by her husband Ngcobo who was jealous of her success shortly after she built herself a beautiful and bigger home and moved in with their two kids. Ngcobo was found guilty of hiring a hitman to kill his estranged wife in October 2021 by the Mthunzini High Court. Speaking to the media after the sentencing, Cele's brother Ntuthuko Nsele said that justice finally prevailed. He said their family knew when their sister was killed Ngcobo was behind the murder. "I would like to thank all the people who made it possible that justice is served on behalf of our sister. As much as we are not happy with the sentence, we have found closure and we know why my sister was killed" Nsele said. He added that when the case began, the matter was not handled well by the Mandeni Police Station. The family said they were sad for them to see the suspect roaming the streets even after sharing their suspicions and evidence with the police that pointed to the husband.
FAMILY STILL HURT
"We are still in pain with the way in which our sister was murdered. It has not been an easy ride but we would also like to thank the community at large for being there for us as they were with us in court from day one. They were always available when the suspect was appearing in court to make sure that justice prevails," he said. Nsele said that the suspect informed his family that he had no desire to see his kids because of what he did. The hitmen whom he had hired to kill Cele confessed to the murder. Ngcobo had previously told the court that he killed his wife because he had found out that she was also planning to kill him too.
