NIGERIAN MAN AND SOUTH AFRICAN WOMAN HANDED HEAVY SENTENCES FOR DRUG DEALING

02 December 2025

NIGERIAN MAN AND SOUTH AFRICAN WOMAN HANDED HEAVY SENTENCES FOR DRUG DEALING

Oudtshoorn, Western Cape; The Oudtshoorn Regional Court has sentenced a Nigerian man and a South African woman to long direct imprisonment for dealing in drugs after the woman voluntarily approached the man via social media, offering herself as a drug mule around South Africa. The court convicted Vuyisekha Miranda Mzwakhe and Victor Ikechukwu Udoh for drug dealing and further convicted him for breach of the immigration act after he remained in the country illegally for more than five years.

The court sentenced Mzwakhe to 15 years' direct imprisonment and Udoh to 20 years' direct imprisonment for drug dealing. It sentenced him to two years' direct imprisonment for breach of the immigration act, effectively sentencing him to 22 years' direct imprisonment. The court declared both unfit to possess a firearm.

During the trial, Regional Court prosecutor Hyron Goulding led evidence that Mzwakhe approached Udoh via social media messenger enquiring whether he knew of a Nigerian in Oudtshoorn where he stayed and offered to transport ‘stuff’ for him from Plettenberg Bay to Johannesburg or Durban, but as long as it is not outside the borders of the Republic of South Africa. Udoh asked if she was sure of what she was committing herself to do, and she confirmed. Udoh deposited money into her bank account for her to travel from Gqeberha to George and for her to pay for a guesthouse.

Goulding led evidence of the guesthouse owner, who confirmed that he received a call from a man on 15 October 2021 who booked a room. Later, a courier company brought a parcel to his guesthouse, and he thought it was for the guesthouse. The man who booked the room called enquiring about the parcel and informed the owner that it was his. On the afternoon of that day, Mzwakhe arrived, checked in, received a key and a remote for the gate. Udoh arrived after her, and she opened the gate for him. Later, Mzwakhe handed over the keys, indicating that they were leaving.

They boarded a taxi to Oudtshoorn. Police received a tip-off about a suspicious couple in the taxi, and they were described the vehicle and its registration. A roadblock was set up, and the taxi was stopped at the roadblock. A police officer introduced himself to the driver and passengers and requested permission to search the vehicle, which was granted the permission. The police officer saw Mzwakhe with the box on her lap and Udoh sitting behind her. He instructed the passengers to get out of the vehicle, and Mzwakhe left the parcel behind. He picked it up and asked whose parcel it was, and she indicated that it belonged to Udoh. At the time, Udoh carried Mzwakhe’s bag with her clothes, identity document, and her passport. Police opened the box, and it had 743 grams of Methamphetamine (Tik) with a street value of R260 050. Police arrested them.

Mzwake, 30, was released on bail but later arrested on a warrant of arrest after she failed to appear in court. She spent a year in custody before sentencing, and Udoh, 33, whose bail was opposed, spent five years in prison before sentencing. Mzwakhe pleaded not guilty, arguing that it was not her parcel and that Udoh asked her to collect it from the reception. She was not aware that the parcel contained drugs. Udoh pleaded not guilty, arguing that the search and seizure were unconstitutional, and the evidence was obtained unconstitutionally.

Goulding argued that Section 22 (a) of the Criminal Procedure Act 51/1977 states that a police official may, without a search warrant, search any person if the person consents to the search and seizure of an article in question. Police had a roadblock authorisation document, which authorise them to stop and search any vehicle for contraband and illegalities. He further argued that the drugs were found in Mzwakhe’s possession, and she should be the one arguing search and seizure Constitutionality, but chose not to waste the court’s time with a trial within a trial.

The evidence indicated that Udoh was the mastermind in the drug business and that Mzwakhe was a willing participant, allowing herself to be used as a drug mule. That is why on the drug dealing charge, there is a difference in sentence between the two accused. Social media messenger shows conversations where Mzwakhe willingly chatted with Udoh a few days before the incident. She knew that Udoh would use her as a drug mule, and she agreed to it for the love of money. She was his drug mule, a willing participant, who was out to destroy lives and cause chaos in Oudtshoorn.

He further argued that Udoh was an illegal immigrant who had stayed in the country illegally for five years. The Department of Home Affairs had already informed him of the rejection of his asylum application in 2016.

The NPA welcomes the sentence as the availability and abuse of drugs is destroying communities, leading to serious violent crimes.

Issued by:

Eric Ntabazalila

National Prosecuting Authority

Regional Communications Manager

Western Cape

Tel: (021) 487 7308

Mobile: 073 062 1222