David Ndlovu Conviction & Victimology
The Court Cases. Why did they do it? Sentencing!
David Ndlovu (22) and Thuthukami Miya’s (22) trials were separated because Miya pleaded not guilty.
Why did he do it?
Trial 1 : Madondo David Ndlovu (22)
| Plea: | Guilty |
| Judge: | Life sentence, 25 years with an order that he serve the full 25 years before being considered for parole = 2005 to 2030. |
| Outcome: | Guilty |
| Sentence: | Life sentence, 25 years with an order that he serve the full 25 years before being considered for parole = 2005 to 2030. |
| Why Factor?: | David was the mastermind and held a trusted employment relationship with the Chatterton’s for four years. In court, he would explain: “I aimed that if we could not find money we would take property belonging to James so that he could feel the pain that I was feeling for no longer earning.” This was a key motive and driving factor in his thinking which festered and placed him in the laundry armed with a knife. It is clear that David’s anger was totally misplaced because he made the decision to leave his employment on the Dairy Farm of his own free will and in fact had nothing to do with James or and even less with Jackie. David had had a heated argument with the Induna, Thandi Dlamini who was his superior for dairy farm operations. He threatened to stab him. He had no previous convictions nor was there any sign that could have predicted he was heading on the path of murder, that would see him becoming the young man who to date still holds the painful record of the highest amount of stabs wounds in a farmhouse robbery in KwaZulu Natal, South Africa. |
| Restorative: | This process has not been activated as yet. More details might become clear from this process |
| Relationships: | 1. David was a past employee of four years, who left the Chattertons 2. The understanding is that David and his co-accused Thuthukani were working together as security guards in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu Natal. |
High Court:
Madondo David Ndlovu (22)
Ndlovu, of Donnybrook, pleaded guilty to the murder on Tuesday, 23rd May 2006.
He had worked on the dairy farm for four years and left after a heated argument with the Induna, Thandi Dlamini who was his superior for dairy farm operations. He threatened to stab him.
Acting Judge Nompulelo Hadebe said the court could not find substantial and compelling circumstances that justified a sentence less than life, mandatory when the murder was perpetrated during an attempted aggravated robbery.
She also ordered that he serve 25 years before being considered for parole.
In his plea, Ndlovu said he and co-accused Thuthukani Miya, armed with knives, went to the farm and planned to wait for James to go outside.
“I aimed that if we could not find money we would take property belonging to James so that he could feel the pain that I was feeling for no longer earning.”
“Jackie saw us enter and screamed. I grabbed her neck and told her to keep quiet…she continued screaming….. I panicked when I saw James running to the house. We started to stab her to stop her screaming. I am unable to say how many times.”
“She broke free and ran to another room. Thuthukani and I followed her while proceeding to stab her…. we were afraid she was going to get a firearm. I saw James run to his father’s house and return with a firearm.
“Thuthukani and I…ended up in the bathroom. Thuthukani escaped through burglar bars. I was arrested by a farmer.”