MINISTER MARAIS WELCOMES CONVICTIONS AND SENTENSING IN KHAYELITSHA MASS MURDER CASE

The Western Cape Minister of Police Oversight and Community Safety, Anroux Marais, has welcomed the guilty verdict and sentences handed down yesterday, Wednesday, 14 January 2026, in the Khayelitsha Magistrates’ Court in relation to the mass shooting that occurred on 14 March 2022 in the Endlovini informal settlement in Khayelitsha.

On that day, five people lost their lives in a brutal and senseless act of violence. Following a lengthy trial, Madoda Zwayi (35) and Thembani Kobe (33) were convicted on five counts of murder on 15 October 2025. Yesterday, the court imposed a sentence of 75 years’ imprisonment on Zwayi and life imprisonment on Kobe.

Minister Marais commended the investigating and prosecution teams for their professionalism and perseverance in ensuring that justice was served. This outcome demonstrates what can be achieved when investigators and prosecutors work closely and diligently to build watertight cases against violent offenders.

“These sentences send a clear and unequivocal message: those who terrorise our communities and believe they can act with impunity must know that the law will catch up with them, and they will be held fully accountable for their actions,” Minister Marais said.

The Western Cape Department of Police Oversight and Community Safety will continue to call on the South African Police Service to strengthen their crime investigation capabilities to secure more convictions for the perpetrators of these heinous acts.