TWO MEN SENTENCED TO LIFE IMPRISONMENT FOR RUSTENBURG COFFEE SHOP MURDER
09 October 2025
TWO MEN SENTENCED TO LIFE IMPRISONMENT FOR RUSTENBURG COFFEE SHOP MURDER
Mogwase, North West – The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) welcomes the life sentences handed down to Sibongiseni Ngubane (33) and Thabani Lethukuthula Gwala (30) by the North West High Court sitting in Mogwase. The two men were convicted of murder and possession of an unlicensed firearm following the brutal killing of Rustenburg businessman Ben Gumbi (50) in August 2023.
The conviction stems from a tragic incident on 23 August 2023, when Gumbi and his wife stopped at a local coffee shop. Gumbi went inside to order coffee while his wife remained in the locked vehicle. While waiting for his order, he stepped outside to take a phone call. Moments later, a car pulled up, and two men got out and opened fire on Gumbi, fatally wounding him before fleeing the scene.
The suspects later abandoned the getaway vehicle and switched to another car. Police investigations, aided by surveillance footage from the coffee shop and fingerprints found on the abandoned vehicle, led to the arrest of Ngubane and Gwala in September and December 2023, respectively. In court, both accused pleaded not guilty, but were convicted based on the overwhelming evidence presented by the prosecution.
During sentencing, Advocate Dibuseng Ntsala argued that violent crime has reached alarming levels in South Africa, leaving many families in grief. She told the court that Gumbi’s life was taken in an extremely brutal, violent, and callous manner, shot in cold blood and in full public view. The State urged the court to impose the prescribed minimum sentence of life imprisonment for the murder.
The court agreed with the prosecution and sentenced both men as follows: Life imprisonment for murder, and 15 years’ imprisonment each for possession of an unlicensed firearm. The sentences will run concurrently.
Welcoming the outcome, Dr Rachel Makhari, Director of Public Prosecutions in the North West, commended Advocate Ntsala for her diligence in bringing the matter to a successful conclusion. She emphasised that the sentence serves as a strong deterrent to perpetrators of violent crime.
Issued by:
Sivenathi Gunya
Communications Officer
North West Division
National Prosecuting Authority
078 172 9367