A Pietermaritzburg house robber who pleaded guilty to fatally murdering a senior in December 2023 has received an effective 25-year sentence.
Phakamani Duncan Ngcobo, 33, has pleaded guilty in the Pietermaritzburg High Court to the murder of Rajendra Chetty, 72.
In addition to murder, Ngcobo, represented by Legal Aid SA attorney Mzothando Tengwa, pled guilty to charges of housebreaking and robbery with aggravating circumstances.
In his plea, the accused stated that he entered the pensioner’s residence on Ginger Road in Northdale on December 9, 2023.
He claimed that he and another individual who had worked for Chetty planned to break into the victim’s home and rob him.
Ngcobo stated that when they arrived at the property, they broke the burglar gate and door and entered.
They admitted that they stole his cellphone and sold it for R350.
The accused claimed that when Chetty struggled, they stabbed him to death.
According to post-mortem examinations, Chetty died as a result of several stab wounds.
In his decision, Judge J Mossop stated that a guilty plea is not always indicative of remorse.
“A guilty plea in the face of an open and shut case is, at best, a neutral factor.”
The judge said this was not the case as there were no eyewitness and even though the neighbours heard screams, where not able to identify the two men seen running from Chetty’s yard.
However, the Judge said the only thing the accused took from the scene was a cellphone which they sold for R350.
“The person who gave it to you purchased if for his girlfriend.
“She apparently used it with the deceased’s WhatsApp application still active on it.
“The stolen telephone was then traced through that application back to you.”
The Judge also noted the accused “disgraceful” record of housebreaking.
“Your criminal record is most distressing, in fact is it disgraceful you have been convicted no less than five occasions.”
The court heard that Ngcobo had spent 18 months at most behind bars for these crimes.
In a victim impact statement handed to the court by State Advocate Zinhle Sokhela, both Chetty’s children expressed deep grief they experienced as a family following his death.
Chetty’s daughter Anneline said she had purchased the cellphone for her father.
“Would he have been killed if I have not given it to him?”
