Slain court orderly Sgt Mario Nel would have celebrated his 44th birthday with his wife, family and friends at the end of the month.
Instead, his loved ones will try to find some solace in the minimum 30 years Andile Nyoka will spend behind bars after he was handed a hefty sentence in the Gqeberha high court on Friday.
Nyoka taunted Nel’s family one last time, before leaving the courtroom, downstairs to the holding cells, saying he is glad about the sentence judge Fungile Dotwana handed down.
However, his intentions to apply for leave to appeal the sentence betrayed the bravado he displayed in front of his victim’s family.
Nyoka, 27, shot and killed Nel in the corridor of the Motherwell magistrate’s court after wrestling his service pistol from him and shooting him in the head.
He then strolled out of the building, pointing the pistol in the air shortly before hijacking a taxi, threatening the driver and passengers with the stolen firearm.
As the driver jumped out of the moving vehicle in Sisulu Street, Motherwell, to alert police, Nyoka opened on the man and two police members.
The members returned fire, wounded Nyoka and arrested him.
Nyoka was sentenced to life imprisonment for Nel’s murder, and another 15 years for robbery with aggravating circumstances for wresting the firearm from Nel.
He was sentenced to a further 10 years for the attempted murder of two police officers, seven years for the attempted murder of the taxi driver, and five years for kidnapping the driver and his passengers.
For the unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition he was sentenced to 15 and five years respectively, and 10 years for possession of a firearm with the intent to commit an offence.
All the firearm-related sentences will run concurrently.
In respect of the life sentence, Dotwana ordered that Nyoka only be considered for parole after serving 30 years behind bars, as opposed to the usual 20 years.
In his sentence explanation, Dotwana emphasised the need for harsher punishment when criminals target law enforcement officials, and said Nyoka made a mockery of the justice system by murdering a police officer inside a court building.
“A house of justice was turned into a crime scene.
“No justice could be meted out that day,” Dotwana said.
He referred to the arrogant manner in which Nyoka walked away after shooting Nel, how the accused proudly admitted to being a member of the infamous ‘26’ prison gang, and the continuous taunting of Nel’s family throughout court proceedings.
Dotwana said the sentence must send a clear message to other perpetrators, and put the public’s mind at ease, that attacks on the police will result in harsh punishment, quoting old case law where the death sentence was called for when law enforcement officials were killed.
On several occasions while delivering the sentence, Dotwana fixed his eyes on Nyoka while giving the interpreter time to translate from English to Xhosa.
Nyoka showed little reaction, other than shaking his head as the years of his sentence started piling up.
Breaking their silence for the first time since Nel’s death, his brother Luzaan and wife Ammarentia addressed the media outside court, expressing their relief about the sentence.
“I did not expect such a big sentence.
“Words cannot described how happy I am right now,” Luzaan said.
“We were going to celebrate his birthday in 10 days, but I guess we will try to celebrate this sentence instead.”
He said not a day goes by that he does not miss his only brother, and he hoped this outcome would set them on a path of closure.
Ammarentia said she attended all of Nyoka’s court appearances, which was a tough and emotionally draining experience.
“Sitting in court with that man was never easy.
“Even today, knowing what his sentence is, he still chose to taunt us.
“But I am overjoyed to know that he will be in prison for a very long time.”
She said the conviction and sentence renewed her faith in the justice system — something her husband stood for.
When asked whether this will bring her closure, Ammarentia took a deep breath and simply replied: “I'm not there yet.”
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