DURBAN, South Africa — Twins Wandile Shange and Asande Shange, both 19, from Waterloo, Durban, were sentenced to five years’ imprisonment after pleading guilty to being accessories after the fact in the murder of 53-year-old Uber driver Zwakushiwo Dennis Zondi.
Zondi was reportedly strangled and his body burned beyond recognition in Waterloo bushes on December 26, 2024.
During proceedings at the Durban High Court, the twins admitted receiving a call from Lindani Shezi, 21, informing them that Ayanda Zulu, Andile Mbhele, and Luyanda Shozi needed help disposing of Zondi’s body after allegedly killing him and stealing his car.
Wandile Shange explained that he and his twin, along with Shezi, were picked up in Zulu’s Toyota Rumion and taken to a bushy area in Waterloo. There, Zondi’s body was doused with petrol and set on fire. Shezi corroborated their account, and all three are set to testify against Zulu, Shozi, and Siyabonga Xolani Mkhize at the upcoming trial.
In December 2025, Andile Mbhele, 20, pleaded guilty to Zondi’s murder, theft of his car and bank cards, and provided a detailed account of the events leading to the killing. Mbhele described how he, Zulu, and Shozi lured Zondi under the pretense of needing transport, and how Zulu and Shozi strangled him while he was in the vehicle.
Mbhele then helped the twins and Shezi burn the body while Zulu and Shozi remained in the car with two women present, Nonhlanhla and Mandisa. Following the disposal, the perpetrators used Zondi’s bank card for purchases and later drank at Mkhize’s residence. Police recovered Zondi’s vehicle later that day.
Mbhele received concurrent sentences of 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. He will also testify against his accomplices at trial.
The Shange twins’ sentences reflect their role in aiding the disposal of the body, rather than the murder itself, while the investigation and trials for the other accused continue.
