Byline: Nonjabuliso Nhlambo
17 July 2025
Thubelihle Ndwandwe (32), Siyabonga Ndwandwe (32), and Muzikayfani Ndwandwe (46) appeared before the Evander Regional court today, 17 July 2025, for sentencing after they were convicted of 17 charges on a farm attack in Leandra.
The 17 charges emanated from attempted murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances, possession of a firearm, and kidnapping.
The three were arrested in September 2022 at Leslie after staging a robbery at a certain farm.
Preliminary reports suggested that the three went to the farm under the pretence of being potential customers of livestock. Once they were let in, they held a 65-year-old female (farm owner) together with her helper hostage.
It is further alleged that the helper somehow managed to escape; however, the owner was left alone with the suspects, who allegedly assaulted and stabbed her eight times with a panga.
The three are said to have robbed her of several items, including an undisclosed amount of cash, an airgun, tools, a grinder, house keys, a bag, and other items before they fled the scene.
Police, as well as local farmers in the area, were alerted about the incident, and at about 09 am, the three suspects were swiftly cornered, two along the N17 Road, whilst the third one was apprehended next to another farm nearby.
The suspects were reportedly found in possession of the items that were allegedly stolen at the farm.
The three were sentenced to life imprisonment for attempted murder and 71 years imprisonment for the other 16 charges.
“We are satisfied with the outcome of the sentencing. It is a pity that the crime took place, as the victim’s lives were destroyed, so were the lives of the family members of the accused.
It is always a tragedy to see something like this play out, but we are glad that the court has sent out a strong message to all the farm attackers to say that it is not acceptable to target people,” said Mr Jacques Broodryk, spokesperson for community safety at AfriForum.
