A 44-year-old South African woman, Faith Nongcebo Ntombela, was sentenced to life imprisonment on Friday, November 29, 2024, for the murder of her husband, Captain Zwelakhe Ntombela, a Durban Metro Police officer.
Ntombela was additionally sentenced to 10 years imprisonment for theft of firearms and two years for defeating the ends of justice. These sentences will run concurrently with the life sentence.
The murder occurred on May 3, 2023, in Umlazi. Investigations by the Hawks revealed that Ntombela had stolen her husband’s service and private firearms before the incident.
She conspired with primary school principal Sithembiso Khumalo to hire a hitman, Mzo Ntombela, to carry out the murder. Mzo Ntombela was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment after pleading guilty.
Khumalo and another accomplice, Khulani Cele, will face trial in April 2025.
Major General Lesetja Senona, the KwaZulu-Natal Hawks Provincial Head, welcomed the sentence.
