A 15-year-old from northern KwaZulu-Natal has begun serving a 43-year prison sentence after admitting to robbing and murdering a school principal. The teenager was sentenced this week in the Nongoma Regional Court.
Police arrested the boy in April last year after 61-year-old Alpheus Ntuli, a school principal from Bhanganoma, was reported missing. According to KZN police spokesperson Robert Netshiunda, officers spotted Ntuli's vehicle being driven along Mkhuze Road during their investigation. When police attempted to stop the vehicle, the suspect fled, abandoning the car and escaping on foot.
A short time later, Ntuli’s body was discovered near a riverbank under a bridge in the Odwaleni area. Further investigations led police to the suspect's home in kwaSnqandi, Toyisa, where they found a firearm and ammunition stolen from the teenager's grandfather.
The boy was taken into custody and faced several court appearances before pleading guilty to all charges. His conviction and sentencing bring closure to the case, which shocked the local community.