Former Crime Intelligence officer sentenced to three years for aiding ANC councillor's escape

Disgraced Crime Intelligence officer Thulani Obed Thango was sentenced to three years in prison by the Durban Magistrate's Court on Thursday.

The sentence was handed down for his role in helping ANC councillor Mthokozisi Nojiyeza evade arrest for murder.

Magistrate Jackie Jonk rejected defence pleas for a lighter sentence, condemning Thango's betrayal of his oath to serve and protect South Africa and declaring him unfit to possess a firearm.

The sentencing hearing included a dramatic revelation from probation officer Sanelisiwe Khumalo, who testified that Thango's dishonesty derailed her initial recommendation for a non-custodial sentence.

Khumalo stated that her perspective changed after interviewing the investigating officer and learning that Thango had falsely claimed ignorance about the police seeking Nojiyeza.

Thango was convicted of defeating the administration of justice. The charge stemmed from an elaborate 2018 scheme, orchestrated with now-deceased attorney Lunga Peter, to help Nojiyeza avoid apprehension by the Political Killings Task Team (PKTT) for the murder of fellow ANC councillor Sibusiso Maphumulo.

Nojiyeza was eventually found hiding in a black Audi TT at Durban Central police station, with Peter fleeing the scene.

Defence counsel Advocate Peter Nortje made a final appeal, arguing that correctional supervision would be more appropriate for Thango, a father of 10 who is still employed by the SAPS and serves as a church elder.

Nortje pleaded for leniency, emphasising Thango's single conviction and claiming he acted out of misguided loyalty to a friend, not for gain. 

“When Thango was faced with a plea for help from a familiar face, he fell on the wrong side of the law helping a friend; he did not get anything in return for it,” Nortje argued, also warning against adding another person to the already overcrowded prison system.

However, senior prosecutor Nkululeko Msiya disputed the defence's attempts to minimise the sentence.

Msiya invoked the Madlanga Commission into police corruption to underscore the gravity of Thango's actions, arguing that the case fits perfectly with the issues being investigated.

He stressed the seriousness of assisting a murder suspect to evade arrest, noting: “He consciously decided to break his oath of office.”

Magistrate Jonk concurred with the prosecution, stating: “Thango, as a policeman, should have taken Nojiyeza to the police station. Thango was hiding a murder suspect from PKTT.

“Integrity and honesty are the cornerstones of cops - no place for dishonesty in the police force. Even at this stage, the accused has not accepted what he did. He does not acknowledge the extent of his error.”

Despite the focus on Nojiyeza's evasion, the murder charges against him were eventually withdrawn.

Nkosingiphile Moses Gumede was subsequently arrested, convicted, and sentenced to life imprisonment for Maphumulo's murder. Gumede is currently awaiting sentencing for ATM robberies committed with his co-accused using the same firearm.

nomonde.zondi@inl.co.za