Justice for Siphelele Nxumalo as ‘A-Team’ member sentenced

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An alleged member of the so-called A-team that worked with the Security Police in Natal in 1989 has been sentenced to 10 years imprisonment for the murder of activist Siphelele Nxumalo in the Durban Regional Court.

The court found that Wesley ‘Matitri’ Madonsela shot 17-year-old Nxumalo from Chesterville in the south of Durban several times.

Nxumalo was an activist of the African National Congress-aligned United Democratic Front.

The case was handled by the National Prosecuting Authority’s (NPA) unit working on cases arising from the proceedings of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in the 1990s.

NPA spokesperson Natasha Ramkisson-Kara says the minimum sentence of 25 years for murder only came into effect in 1997.

Madonsela, who was allegedly part of an A-team that worked with the Natal Security Branch, then disappeared after the murder. But he was eventually arrested and brought to court.

In addition to the sentence, the court deemed him unfit to possess a firearm.

“The NPA has welcomed the findings of the court. This is an example of the NPA’s TRC component’s efforts in addressing the atrocities of apartheid crimes and getting justice for the victims as well as their families.”