Lecturer’s Killers Found Guilty

Durban-Two men have been convicted of the kidnapping and murder of Mangosuthu University of Technology lecturer Chanlall “Shan” Dwarika, whose body was found dumped in Inanda last year. The Durban high court on Wednesday found Kwanele Makhaye, 29, and Thobani Mhlongo, 23, guilty of murder, kidnapping and robbery. A third man, Siyabonga Freeman Mahaye, 35, was convicted of kidnapping and robbery, while a fourth, Sihle Mkhize, was acquitted.

Dwarika, 63, was kidnapped on May 28, 2023, and found dead six days later in Mafuya Road, Inanda. He had been renovating a property he owned in Sea Cow Lake, which he intended to sell. According to the indictment, ongoing theft of building materials complicated the process. The court heard that the accused saw Dwarika as a financial target.

Judge Khosi Hadebe described the crime as driven by greed. “They had an insatiable appetite for money and saw Dwarika as a cash cow,” she said. She added that one of the accused had accessed Dwarika’s bank card and used it to extort him. Hadebe said Mkhize’s evidence was found sincere and his actions had helped the investigation. “He had just witnessed the most gruesome and barbaric of murders,” she noted.

Prosecutor Krishen Shah had argued that Mkhize should be convicted under dolus eventualis, but the court disagreed. Judge Hadebe acknowledged that Mkhize sat passively during the crime, but showed remorse and did not directly participate. Dwarika’s family watched silently from the gallery as justice was delivered.