KEY POINTS
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Abednigo Mbuyane pleaded guilty to murdering fellow traffic officer Thamsanca Nkosi after discovering him with his wife at a lodge.
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The fatal shooting occurred during a confrontation, with postmortem evidence showing Nkosi was on the ground when the second and final shot was fired.
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Mbuyane remains in custody and faces sentencing amid calls for justice and closer scrutiny of law enforcement conduct.
A dramatic murder trial unfolding in the Mpumalanga High Court has gripped the city of Mbombela, as 39-year-old Abednigo Mbuyane pleaded guilty to fatally shooting 34-year-old Thamsanca Nkosi—his colleague and the man he suspected of having an affair with his wife.
Both men were traffic officers. Nkosi worked for the Mpumalanga provincial traffic department, while Mbuyane was employed by the Mbombela local municipality. The fatal incident occurred in April 2023 at the Kwanyoni Lodge, just outside Mbombela.
Sowetanlive reports that during his court appearance on Tuesday, Mbuyane recounted the sequence of events leading to the killing.
He testified that he became suspicious after calling his wife, who claimed she was at a shopping mall. However, the background was too quiet to match that setting. When pressed further, she insisted she was in a public restroom. Her evasiveness made him uneasy.
“When I called again, she was not as romantic as she used to be on the phone,” said Mbuyane. “I then tracked my car, which she was driving, and went to Kwanyoni Lodge, where I saw it parked near room one.”
Confrontation at the lodge turns fatal
After discovering his wife at the lodge with Nkosi, Mbuyane said he knocked on the door and waited. His wife responded but did not open the door, prompting him to break it down. According to his testimony, Nkosi tried to stop him from approaching his wife, and a physical altercation ensued. Feeling overpowered, Mbuyane pulled out his firearm and shot Nkosi twice.
“That’s when we fought, and when I felt overpowered, I withdrew my firearm and shot him,” he said in court.
Under questioning from Judge Johannes Roloefse, Mbuyane claimed both he and the deceased were standing during the scuffle. However, the judge pointed to the postmortem report, which showed that the second shot struck Nkosi in the face while he was on the ground. Mbuyane admitted that Nkosi was falling from the first shot when he fired the second, which proved fatal.
The court also heard that this was not the first time tensions had flared over the alleged affair. Mbuyane’s wife confirmed that he had previously discovered a message on her phone from Nkosi and had forced her to call him to state she was married.
Mbuyane has been in custody since April 2023 and has been denied bail three times. His guilty plea, combined with his request for forgiveness, has not spared him from scrutiny as the court weighs the severity of the act, which was carried out using a service weapon.
Prosecutors are expected to argue for a harsh sentence, citing premeditated murder fueled by jealousy and abuse of authority as aggravating factors. Meanwhile, Nkosi’s family is demanding justice for what they describe as a senseless and brutal killing.
“This case reflects how unchecked suspicion and rage can lead to irreversible consequences,” said a local legal expert following the proceedings. “It also raises serious questions about firearm handling protocols among law enforcement personnel.”
The court is set to resume sentencing procedures in the coming weeks
