South African hitman Thabo Chonco: From mass murders to political assassinations
MASS killing and armed robbery convict, Thabo Mathonsi Chonco, already serving five life sentences, is linked to multiple high-profile killings across KwaZulu-Natal's Midlands region, including the assassination of a DA councillor and the massacre of ten members of the Memela family in April 2023.
Image: File
Convicted mass murderer Thabo Deon Mathonsi Chonco is emerging as one of the most prolific alleged hitmen in South Africa, with a growing list of murder cases concentrated in the Midlands KwaZulu-Natal.
Chonco, who was recently sentenced to five life terms for the mass murder of people who in the Mbambo household in Gobho-Gobhio, Bulwer, near the Midlands, is also an accused in the murder of Democratic Alliance councillor Nhlalayenza Ndlovu, the former chief whip of the uMngeni Municipality in Howick.
Ndlovu had been opposed to the illegal sale of municipal land and illegal electricity connections in the eMasosheni area in Mpophomeni.
In Bulwer, Chonco and his accomplises shot dead Mqapheli Mbelu, Lethukuthula Dumakude, Siphamandla Mbambo, Nkosinathi Cele, and Sibonelo Mbambo who was shot on the road when the gunmen were fleeing the scene and recognised him as a Mbambo family member.
Chonco who uses two surnames of Chonco and Mathonsi was also sentenced to 15 years for armed robbery for the Mbambo matter. During testimony, Chonco forced an 11-year-old girl who witnessed his father's murder, to search the victims' pockets.
His co-accused in the Ndlovu murder is Nxamalala Traditional Authority leader Inkosi Simphiwe Zuma.
During sentencing in the Pietermaritzburg High Court last month, it emerged that Chonco did not know the Mbambo family members he killed. Evidence before court indicated that he had been sent by his cousin, Swarez, who was killed in a shootout with police in 2023. The murders were linked to a family dispute.
Last week proved to be a demanding one for Chonco, who appeared on multiple murder charges in two different courts on the same day.
On Monday and Tuesday, he appeared in the Pietermaritzburg High Court in connection with the 2023 mass shooting in which ten members of the Memela family were killed at their home in Imbali Unit 14. Chonco was arrested nearby while consulting a traditional healer from eSwatini, allegedly for ritual cleansing.
The alleged mastermind behind the Memela family murders was reportedly Swarez, who had terrorised residents of Imbali and surrounding areas in the provincial capital. The killings are believed to have stemmed from a dispute that led to an assault charge being laid by a member of the Memela family. This was followed by the murder of a family witness before the mass shooting occurred on the night of April 20, 2023.
The crime scene where ten members of the Memela family, mostly children and women, were shot dead while they were asleep in Imbali Unit 14, in Pietermaritzburg on April 2023. Thabo Deon Mathonsi Chonco and Thembelani Mbatha, the two men anccused of the crime, have been accused of delaying tactics after the postponement of the trial at the Pietermaritzburg High Court.
Image: BONGANI HANS
After the night of terror the lifeless bodies of Andiswa Ngcobo, a minor who was allegedly raped before she was killed, Phumlani Memela, Celimpilo Mthembu, Fikile Hlabisa, Brenda Memela, Aphelele Memela, Owethu Memela, Nomfundo Memela, Thokozile Memela and Sabelo Mhlonyana lay strewn throughout the home.
Most victims were women and children.
The Memela case has faced repeated delays over the past three years, largely due to Chonco changing his legal representatives. His co-accused in the matter is Thembelani Mbatha, who is also an accused in the murder of councillor Ndlovu.
Presiding Judge Nontuthuzelo Mlaba expressed frustration with the repeated delays and instructed Chonco and Mbatha to put their legal affairs in order.
Chonco has indicated an intention to plead guilty to the Memela murders, although he has yet to finalise an agreement with his legal team. On Monday last week, Chonco was transferred from the Pietermaritzburg High Court to the Regional Court, where he appeared on charges relating to the murders of Ndlovu and community activist Xolani Ntombela. He is expected to return to court on February 20.
He has also indicated his intention to plead guilty to the Ndlovu murder. Despite already serving five life sentences, and facing the possibility of additional sentences if convicted, Chonco appeared relaxed in court and was seen casually talking with his co-accused.