A South African convicted of the murder of Anglo-Zulu war expert David Rattray was sentenced on Monday to 25 years in prison.
Rattray (48), a friend of Britain’s Prince Charles and famous for his lively oral accounts of fighting between British troops and Zulu warriors in the 19th century, was shot dead on January 26 in his lodge in South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal province.
The South African Press Association said Fethe Nkwanyana (23) will not be eligible for parole before completing 18 years of his sentence.
Judge Jan Hugo also imposed 10 years for attempted aggravated robbery of Rattray and his receptionist, Nomthandazo Zulu, and three years for illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition. All sentences are to run concurrently.
Nkwanyana kept his head down and was reluctant to face the barrage of cameras trained on him. He declined to say anything after he was sentenced.
Rattray’s widow, Nicky; eldest son, David; and family and friends were in the Pietermaritzburg High Court but did not want to comment on the sentence.
Hugo found substantial and compelling circumstances in Nkwanyana’s case, which enabled the court to impose a lesser sentence than the prescribed life in jail for murder. These circumstances were that he pleaded guilty and indicated that he was willing to testify against his former accomplices.
Hugo said the celebrity status of Rattray and the damage done to the country were not taken into account in sentencing.
The facts
The facts were that Nkwanyana was approached to participate in a robbery. He agreed and before the robbery reconnoitred the Rattrays’ guest lodge. When it was found to be suitable, he and five other armed gang members returned the following day. The motive was greed for money, Hugo said.
On arrival, the gang found that Rattray was not at the lodge, and Zulu was taken to the Rattray home. Nkwanyana and four other gang members stood outside while a sixth went inside. While they were waiting, shots rang out from inside the house. The gunman emerged and said he had shot Rattray. The men then ran away without taking anything.
Hugo said that a plea of guilty could indicate remorse by the killer, or that he realised that the state’s case was so strong it was hopeless to plead not guilty. He accepted that Nkwanyana’s guilty plea was made on the basis of remorse.
No evidence that he would be convicted without his plea of guilty had been put before the court. Nevertheless, he could not expect any great benefit from his guilty plea.
Rattray’s killing was ”a horrendous murder and people who engaged in killing could expect scant mercy from the courts”. The killing has added to concern about high levels of violent crime in South Africa and stoked fears over basic security when the country hosts the 2010 Soccer World Cup.
The country is battling one of the highest crime rates in the world, and opposition groups and the media have accused the government of failing to curb violence, including rampant murder and rape and car hijackings.
A second man who will face charges in connection with the killing is due to appear before a magistrate on February 9. The two were arrested in a small town about 300km south-east of Johannesburg after a police manhunt.
Admirers praised Rattray for raising interest in KwaZulu-Natal’s history, including a famous 1879 battle at Isandlwana, where more than 20 000 Zulu warriors routed British troops in one of Britain’s worst military defeats.
Rattray was about to finish a new history of the Anglo-Zulu conflict and was regarded as a world authority on the Zulu martial tradition.
Rattray is the latest well-known figure to fall victim to South Africa’s crime. South African theatre icon Taliep Pietersen was shot dead during a robbery in his home outside Cape Town in December.
Last year, Nobel Prize-winning author Nadine Gordimer was robbed and assaulted in her home in a quiet Johannesburg suburb. ‒ Reuters, Sapa