{"id":867,"date":"2025-08-01T12:33:26","date_gmt":"2025-08-01T10:33:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/swazidailynews.com\/?p=867"},"modified":"2025-08-01T12:33:26","modified_gmt":"2025-08-01T10:33:26","slug":"sipho-shongwe-sentenced-to-50-years-for-victors-assassination","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/genesisekucalenimedia.com\/edn\/867\/national\/sipho-shongwe-sentenced-to-50-years-for-victors-assassination\/","title":{"rendered":"Sipho Shongwe sentenced to 50 Years for Victor’s assassination"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Delisa Magagula

The High Court has sentenced businessman Sipho Shongwe to 50 years in prison for orchestrating the contract killing of prominent businessman Victor Gamedze.

The sentence was delivered following a comprehensive ruling, which detailed the planning and execution of what the court termed a gruesome and cold-blooded murder on Thursday at the High Court in Mbabane.

Shongwe was found guilty of hiring a group of hitmen, Mbuso Ncaza Nkosi, Sandile Dzodzo Zikalala, and Simphiwe Tata Ngubane to carry out the assassination. The killing took place on January 14,2018 at the Galp Filling Station in Ezulwini, in full view of the public.

The judgment highlighted that the murder was audaciously bold, sudden, and striking, and that it required a lengthy custodial sentence to serve as a deterrent to others.

\u201cThis was a premeditated contract killing, part of a common purpose. It was planned, well-executed, and intended to shock. Crimes of this nature are heinous, wicked, and morally offensive,\u201d read the judgement.

The court noted the arrests of accomplices Ncaza and Ngubane in South Africa were facilitated through the Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Protocol.

They were extradited to Eswatini after an investigation led by Detective Senior Superintendent Sikhumbuzo Fakudze, whose team presented extensive cellphone data, direct evidence, and circumstantial evidence linking Shongwe to the murder.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"
Sipho Shongwe has been sentenced to 50 years imprisonment for the murder of Victor Gamedze.\nHis sentence is backdated to his date of arrest in 2017.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

In establishing precedent, the Court cited South African legal standards, where individuals found guilty of hiring assassins in premeditated murders often face life sentences. It was found that Eswatini\u2019s jurisprudence is in alignment with these standards.

\u201cThere is no doubt in casu that the jurisprudence in Eswatini is in the main compatible with the South African jurisprudence. The planning and manner of execution justify the harshest sentence under the law,\u201d the court stated.

Although the sentence is 50 years, the Court acknowledged that remission policies may reduce the total time to be served. Shongwe is entitled to a one-third remission in accordance with correctional services procedures, potentially reducing the sentence by 16 years and 8 months.

Additionally, the court acknowledged the 7 years Shongwe spent in custody awaiting trial. Factoring in these reductions, the actual time to be served could be approximately 26 years and 4 months.

The court dismissed pleas for leniency from Shongwe\u2019s defence, which included mitigation submissions and testimony by a clinical psychologist.

However, the presiding judge ruled that individuals who engage in contract killings \u201cdo so at their own risk and peril\u201d and must face the consequences.

\u201cThe interests of justice and society are prime in this matter,\u201d the judge said, emphasizing that sentencing must reflect the seriousness of the offence and provide closure to the public.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>

\u201cThis crime perpetrated against the deceased Victor Gamedze was morally and extremely offensive. I run short of words to describe the evil nature of his death.\u201d
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"By Delisa Magagula The High Court has sentenced businessman Sipho Shongwe to 50 years in prison for orchestrating…","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":875,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"iawp_total_views":0,"csco_display_header_overlay":false,"csco_singular_sidebar":"","csco_page_header_type":"","csco_page_load_nextpost":"","csco_post_video_location":[],"csco_post_video_location_hash":"","csco_post_video_url":"","csco_post_video_bg_start_time":0,"csco_post_video_bg_end_time":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[33,25,34],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-867","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-culture","category-national","category-pop-culture","cs-entry","cs-video-wrap"],"yoast_head":"\nSipho Shongwe sentenced to 50 Years for Victor's assassination - Eswatini Daily News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/genesisekucalenimedia.com\/edn\/867\/national\/sipho-shongwe-sentenced-to-50-years-for-victors-assassination\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Sipho Shongwe sentenced to 50 Years for Victor's assassination - 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