The three murder cases involving Nxamalala Tribal Authority leader Inkosi Simphiwe Zuma have been transferred to the Pietermaritzburg Regional Court. Zuma appeared in the Howick Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday alongside Thobani Hlongwa, Khayelihle Shabalala and Deon Mathonsi. Another co-accused, Thembelani Mbatha, was absent as he is standing trial in an unrelated matter in Makhutha.
Zuma is facing three separate murder charges. These relate to the killing of Induna Qalokunye Zuma, who was shot dead at his home in Impendle in January 2023; the murder of DA councillor and uMngeni Municipality chief whip Nhlalayenza Ndlovu, who was gunned down at his home in Emasosheni near Mpophomeni in December 2023; and the killing of Xolani Ndlovu-Ntombela, who was also shot and killed in Emasosheni in November 2022. Zuma is currently out on R25 000 bail in the Impendle murder case.
He is appealing the Howick Magistrates Court’s decision to deny him bail in the Ndlovu murder case and also intends to apply for bail in the third murder matter. On Monday, Mathonsi was sentenced by the Pietermaritzburg High Court to five life imprisonment terms for the brutal murders of five people in Bulwer in 2023. On Wednesday, Mathonsi appeared in court with leg irons and under heavy security, escorted by officials from the Department of Correctional Services.
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Zuma and his co-accused are expected to appear in the Pietermaritzburg Regional Court on Monday. Outside court, DA KwaZulu-Natal leader Francois Rodgers said the transfer of the matter to the regional court was a positive development, as it reflected the seriousness of the cases.
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