The pre-trial conference for the two men arrested in connection with the murder of Uber driver Zwakushiwo Zondi is scheduled for April at the Durban High Court.
Image: Nomonde Zondi
Two men implicated in the murder of Uber driver Zwakushiwo Dennis Zondi are scheduled to appear at the Durban High Court in April for a pre-trial conference.
This follows the guilty pleas and subsequent turning of State witnesses by their co-accused: Lindani Shezi, Andile Mbhele, and the twins Asande and Wandile Shange.
Zondi, a 53-year-old e-hailing driver, was allegedly strangled, and his body was burned beyond recognition in the Waterloo bushes on December 26, 2024.
Ayanda Zulu, 25, from Marinahill, allegedly faces charges of murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances, and kidnapping in connection with Zondi's death.
His co-accused, Siyabonga Xolani Mkhize, is charged as an accessory after the fact. Zulu and Luyanda Innocent Shozi allegedly lured the victim, whom they knew, under the pretense of needing his services.
On the day of the incident, Zondi arrived to pick up Zulu, Shozi, Mbhele, and two female passengers, as requested. They directed him to the Oakland area to collect another person. Zulu, seated directly behind Zondi in the Toyota Rumion, allegedly began strangling him and took control of the vehicle. Shozi and Mbhele then allegedly continued to strangle Zondi until he died.
After the murder, Zulu drove to Marinahill to pick up Mkhize. The group then collected the twins and Shezi in Waterloo, Verulam, to assist with disposing of the body. Upon reaching the bushes, Zondi’s body was removed from the vehicle and set alight.
“The cause of death could not be ascertained due to charred human remains and an advanced state of decomposition,” read the indictment.
The men who pleaded guilty admitted that after burning Zondi’s body, they took his bank cards to purchase alcohol. They dropped the women off at their homes before proceeding to Mkhize’s house to continue drinking. Police recovered Zondi’s car at Mkhize’s residence later that same day.
Sentences for the co-accused have already been handed down. Mbhele pleaded guilty in December 2025 and received a concurrent sentence: 15 years for robbery, five years for kidnapping, and 25 years for murder, with three years suspended for five years, conditional on no further convictions for violence or murder.
The Shange twins and Shezi were sentenced to five years for accessory after the fact in February 2026.
Zulu and Mkhize's pre-trial conference is scheduled for April 16.
State prosecutor Advocate Andile Makhanya told Judge President Thoba Poyo-Dlwati that Shozi will appear in court next week after his matter was separated from the others.
nomonde.zondi@inl.co.za