An ex-policewoman has been sentenced to an effective five years behind bars for the murder of an e-hailing driver in November 2020.
Nonhlahla Biyela, 44, was found guilty of the murder of 26-year-old Khethokuhle Mvuyane in July this year.
The court heard that Biyela and Mvuyane had been travelling on the N2 and kept overtaking each other. The road rage altercation ended in the parking lot of a shopping centre in Winklespruit on the KwaZulu-Natal south coast, where Mvuyane apparently approached the policewoman and swore at her, according to News24. It was also alleged that he punched her in the face.
The court heard that Biyela’s male cousin, who had been travelling with her, alighted from the car and he and Mvuyane began arguing. It is further alleged that this is when Biyela went back to her car, produced her state firearm and shot Mvuyane, killing him instantly.
This week, Durban Magistrate Sharon Marks sentenced Biyela to 10 years behind bars, five of which were wholly suspended. She found that while Biyela had been provoked by Mvuyane by being punched in the face, she should have practiced restraint.
In reaching her decision, Marks also found that Biyela was the primary caregiver for her children as substantial and compelling evidence. Biyela’s children would be cared for by their uncle. She also rejected Biyela’s version that it was her cousin who fired the shot.
