More than three years after political activist and former politician Loyiso Nkohla was gunned down in front of community members in Philippi, Cape Town, the man who pulled the trigger will spend the next 30 years behind bars.

For his wife, Nyameka Mabandla, April 17, 2023, remains a painful reminder of how a decision by her husband to persuade her to stay away from a community meeting ultimately saved her life, while he was brutally murdered in a hail of bullets.

On Tuesday, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) welcomed the effective 30-year direct imprisonment sentence handed to Zukisa Tshabile for Nkohla’s murder and a series of other serious offences.

The Western Cape Division of the High Court in Cape Town convicted Tshabile of murder, seven counts of attempted murder, kidnapping, robbery with aggravating circumstances, two counts of unlawful possession of a firearm and two counts of unlawful possession of ammunition.

The court imposed sentences totalling 149 years’ direct imprisonment but ordered them to run concurrently with the 30-year sentence for murder, resulting in an effective 30 years behind bars. Tshabile was also declared unfit to possess a firearm.

Nkohla, a former politician and community activist, became a household name around 2013 when he and fellow activist Andile Lili led controversial protests against poor sanitation in Cape Town’s informal settlements.

The protests, popularly known as the “poo protests”, involved dumping human waste at prominent public places, including Cape Town International Airport and the Western Cape provincial legislature, to highlight the lack of proper sanitation services in poor communities.

The protests attracted national attention and earned Nkohla the controversial nickname “poo thrower-in-chief”. He also served as an ANC councillor before moving between different political formations, including the DA, Land Party and Patriotic Alliance.

At the time of his death, however, Nkohla was involved in community activism and efforts to facilitate engagements between Philippi residents and the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA).

According to the NPA, his assassination stemmed from a dispute involving security contracts at Philippi Railway Station.

In a plea and sentence agreement with the State, Tshabile admitted that businessman Thobani Maxengana had approached him and other alleged gunmen, claiming he felt unsafe entering Philippi because of a dispute involving Nkohla and his wife.

Maxengana allegedly told them he wanted the couple killed and offered each perpetrator R20,000 to carry out the murders.

The dispute reportedly followed allegations that Maxengana had failed to pay 17 security personnel working at Philippi Railway Station despite receiving payment from Mzansi Fire, a security company contracted by PRASA.

Nkohla subsequently paid the workers from his own pocket.

A new security company later became involved, with Nkohla obtaining a 50% share in the business. The company was approved by the Philippi Community Decision Making Committee.

On April 17, 2023, Nkohla called a community meeting to discuss the unpaid security personnel and the way forward.

According to the plea agreement, four armed men travelled to Philippi Railway Station, where the meeting was taking place. Nkohla’s vehicle was pointed out to them because they did not know him.

He was attending the meeting with Theonette Olaboda, Thembinkosi Pupa, Nomhle Mngakana and at least 20 other community members.

The gunmen opened fire on him. Nkohla attempted to escape, but the shooting continued as he ran among the community members. He sustained multiple gunshot wounds and died at the scene.

His wife had stayed away after he persuaded her not to attend.

Senior State Advocate John Reyneveld told the court that the murder was carefully planned and motivated by a commercial dispute.

“This murder was not spontaneous. It was preceded by a plan to kill the deceased and his wife, Nyameka Mabandla, formulated in the context of a commercial dispute and accompanied by an offer of R20 000.00 to each perpetrator for the killings,” Reyneveld argued.

He said the attack had placed the lives of other community members at substantial risk because it happened during a public gathering.

Tshabile also admitted his involvement in an armed robbery at the Pizza Pub in Kraaifontein on July 5, 2023, during which R15,000 in cash, alcohol and two cellphones were stolen.

During the robbery, police officers and a security guard were shot at. Sergeant Robert Hugo was struck in the stomach, but his bulletproof vest prevented the bullet from penetrating. A bystander, Graham Mitchell, sustained a gunshot wound to the head.

The NPA said the prosecution relied on evidence, including eyewitness testimony, linking Tshabile and his co-accused to the crimes.

Meanwhile, two other accused, Mdlungu and Chulayo, are expected to appear at the Wynberg Circuit Court on Wednesday, November 11.

NPA Western Cape spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila said the authority remained committed to prosecuting those who used violence to settle disputes or advance criminal and financial interests.

For Nkohla’s family and the Philippi community, the sentence marks an important step towards accountability for the killing of a man whose activism once brought national attention to the struggles of poor communities.