Minister Blade Nzimande welcomes sentencing of Professor Gregory Kamwendo’s killers

The Minister of Education, Science and Innovation, Dr Blade Nzimande, welcomes the sentence imposed on the brutal murderers of the University of Zululand (UniZulu) professor Gregory Kamwendo in 2018.

Oscar Mkhuliseni Mthiyane, 53, and Selby Nkuna, 49, were handed down life sentences in the Pietermaritzburg High Court last Thursday, 15 October 2020.

According to the police, at the time of his death, Prof Kamwendo was sitting in his stationary vehicle, when these two murderers shot and killed him. He sustained multiple gunshot wounds on the upper body and was declared dead on the scene.

At the time of his passing, Professor Kamwendo was 53 years old and the Dean of the Faculty of Arts at the University of Zululand.

He was killed ostensibly because he had found out and stamped out a scheme of illegally awarding of courses and certificates fraudulently, involving some of the staff members in his faculty.

“This was a double murder as it took the life of Prof Kamwendo at the height of his career, but also this killing exposed corruption and self-interest which seeks to destroy the image and credibility of not only of UniZulu but of the higher education system as a whole,” said Minister Nzimande.

Minister Nzimande further said much as the conviction of these murderers would not return Prof Kamwendo to life, but at the very least, we hope it will deliver justice for a heinous crime and will hopefully contribute towards closure to the family, colleagues and the entire Unizulu community.

Minister Nzimande wishes to thank the South African criminal justice system, including the South African Police Services (SAPS), prosecuting authority and courts for ensuring the swift arrest and sentencing of these murderers. “They indeed deserve to be incarcerated for the pain that they brought to the Kamwendo family and our entire post school education and training community,” he said. 

The Minister reiterated his condemnation of those individuals and gangs who at all cost seek to threaten life and the stability of the higher education system.

“Individuals who continue to behave in such a manner must be isolated and exposed so that the law enforcement agencies can pounce of them.

This I say because at all material times, we have to maintain high standard and ethical behaviour of our academic, administrative and service staff. We also want those interested in doing business with our institutions to do it without fear or favour in an ethical and accountable environment,” emphasised the Minister.
Enquiries:
Ishmael Mnisi
Cell: 066 037 8859
E-mail: Ishmael.Mnisi@dst.gov.za