Quote · Crime, Conspiracy, Cults and Murder
Ep. 115 | The Brutal Sugarcane Serial Killer
Where this was said
The Verdict, Sentencing, and the Community's Response
At 50:55 · chapter starts 48:15
On December 23, 2010, Judge King Ndlovu read his verdict: guilty on all 13 murder counts and all 13 robbery counts with aggravating circumstances. Taki walked out of the dock smirking. For Nene, the outcome was acquittal — the judge found the state had not proven she was aware of the killings, though he noted she had brought the trouble on herself by not cooperating with police. Her sister wept with relief; some victims' families, like Mbongi who had lost her sister Makosi, accepted the acquittal gracefully. At sentencing on January 19, 2011, prosecutor Nokxolo Takuana asked for the maximum: life on every murder count, 15 years on every robbery count. The judge obliged with 13 life sentences plus 208 years, writing explicitly that his intention was for Taki to remain in prison for the rest of his life, and personally urging the Department of Correctional Services never to consider parole. Taki's appeal was refused immediately. The gallery erupted — singing, dancing, weeping. Outside, the crowd carried their relief into the open air, chanting for him to die in prison. The weight landed differently for each family: some were managing; others hadn't got there yet. On May 4, 2011, a crowd gathered near the sugarcane fields for the Umzinto Wall of Remembrance, where 13 names were etched into stone — a monument built on Workers' Day to say out loud what the case had proven: when women have no income and no options, they become easier targets.
On December 23, 2010, Judge King Ndlovu found Taki guilty on 13 murder charges and 13 robbery charges. Taki walked out of the dock smirking. The judge called his testimony evasive and untrue and his alibi weightless.
On January 19, 2011, Taki was sentenced to life in prison 13 times over plus an additional 208 years for 13 robbery convictions, with the judge explicitly urging the parole board never to release him.
On January 19, 2011, Taki received 13 life sentences, one for each murder, plus 208 additional years for the robbery convictions. The judge wrote explicitly that Taki should die in prison, and personally urged the parole board never to release him.
On May 4, 2011, a crowd gathered near the Chayamoya sugarcane fields for the Umzinto Wall of Remembrance. Thirteen names etched into stone. A prosecutor received an unexpected title from the community: hero.
