FROM THE COURTS: A taxi industry hitman has been sentenced to an effective 25 years’ imprisonment by the Johannesburg High Court.

Halulisani Mchunu, 29, was handed the hefty sentence after entering into a formal plea and sentence agreement with the State, pleading guilty to all 26 criminal counts against him.

The court ordered that his sentences for the various charges run concurrently, resulting in the effective 25-year prison term.

Mchunu’s conviction stems from a highly coordinated wave of violent crimes, including targeted assassinations, that fueled a cycle of retribution, route domination, and profit wars within the lucrative South African taxi industry.

However, his criminality extended beyond taxi ranks. In late 2024, a specialized South African Police Service (SAPS) task team—deployed to crack down on a deadly syndicate executing business executives and stealing minerals near the Rio Tinto-owned Richards Bay Minerals (RBM) mine—tracked Mchunu down to Gauteng.

Upon his arrest, police recovered three AK-47 assault rifles and one 9mm semi-automatic pistol.

According to court documents one of the recovered AK-47s directly matched the brutal murder of prominent businessman and RBM contractor Sipho Zwelethemba Masuku, who was gunned down inside his Toyota Fortuner in Meerensee, Richards Bay.

Brigadier Paulina Sekgobela, the Acting Provincial Head for the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (the Hawks), has praised the seasoned investigation team and the prosecuting authority. 

She noted that the “watertight case” left Mchunu with absolutely no room to maneuver, forcing the hitman to concede to his crimes in their entirety. 

“This conviction sends a clear and unambiguous message to those involved in taxi-related violence,” SAPS said in a statement.