Glebelands Hostel killers face sentencing in Durban High Court

Five men convicted of the brutal murder of eight people at Glebelands Hostel in Umlazi are due to be sentenced this week in the KwaZulu-Natal High Court in Durban.

The case has drawn national attention as a chilling example of hostel violence and intimidation, often linked to turf wars and rent extortion networks.

The group, whose names have not been released publicly for security reasons, was found guilty in March on eight counts of murder. They had initially faced nine charges, but the court acquitted them on one count due to insufficient evidence.

The killings took place in June 2023, when the men targeted victims who refused to surrender their beds in the overcrowded and often dangerous Glebelands complex.

The hostel, notorious for its long history of violence and political tension, has been the scene of dozens of killings over the past decade. The eight men murdered in this particular case were believed to have stood their ground against a campaign of forced evictions by an extortionist network operating within the hostel.

“These were not random acts of violence. These killings were targeted and calculated, intended to instill fear and drive others into submission,” said National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Natasha Ramkisson-Kara.

“Justice has now taken its course, and we are confident the court will impose a sentence that reflects the gravity of these crimes.”

The sentencing, originally scheduled for late May, was postponed three weeks ago after the presiding judge was unexpectedly unavailable due to medical reasons. The delay caused further anxiety for the families of the victims, many of whom have expressed frustration at the slow pace of justice.“We have waited for nearly two years.

We want closure,” said Zanele Mkhize, whose brother was among those murdered. “We want to know that these men will never do this to anyone else again.”During the trial, chilling testimony emerged from witnesses who described how the victims were ambushed in their rooms or targeted in common areas of the hostel.

Several were gunned down in broad daylight. One of the accused was found in possession of a firearm matching ballistic evidence from three of the murders.

Community safety organisations and local activists have called for tougher oversight of hostels across the province, where long-standing issues of governance, poor infrastructure, and criminal infiltration continue to fuel bloodshed.

“These sentences must send a message,” said Sibusiso Zulu, a community leader from Umlazi. “Glebelands cannot remain a place where people live in fear simply because they have a roof over their heads.”

The court is expected to hand down sentencing later this week. The state is pushing for life imprisonment for each of the convicted men.