Life sentence for murder of police officer on Durban’s M7 highway
Ogle was killed on July 20, 2023, after arriving at the scene of the robbery near Queensburgh in a marked police vehicle.
Nearly three years after Durban metro police officer Errol George Ogle was shot dead while responding to a R700 000 meat truck robbery on the M7 highway, one of his killers has been sentenced to life imprisonment.
The Durban High Court sentenced Mlungisi Phakamani Mpanza (37) to life imprisonment for Ogle’s murder.
Mpanza was also sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment for robbery with aggravating circumstances and three years for kidnapping. He will serve an effective life sentence.
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His co-accused, Mzomuhle Lawrence Gamede (34), was sentenced to an effective 15 years’ imprisonment after being convicted of robbery with aggravating circumstances and kidnapping.
Ogle was killed on July 20, 2023, after arriving at the scene of the robbery near Queensburgh in a marked police vehicle.
According to the National Prosecuting Authority, the robbers approached his vehicle and fired several shots. Ogle sustained fatal injuries and died at the scene.
In a victim impact statement presented during sentencing, Ogle’s wife described the profound trauma caused by his death.
She said the family had lost a husband, father and brother, while the broader community had lost a dedicated police officer who had served with commitment and integrity.
The robbery was planned after Mpanza and Gamede were dismissed from a butchery in Congella.
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The NPA said the men became disgruntled and conspired to rob one of the butchery’s meat trucks.
Mpanza enlisted two accomplices and arranged for a metered taxi driver to transport the group to the M7 highway.
The men intercepted the truck, gained access to it and forced the driver into the back of the vehicle. The truck was carrying meat valued at about R700 000.
After Ogle was shot, some of the perpetrators fled on foot, while another escaped in the officer’s vehicle.
The investigation gained momentum when the metered taxi driver handed himself over to the police and reported the crimes.
Mpanza and Gamede were later arrested and prosecuted, but their alleged accomplices remain at large.
State advocate Bonginkosi Mbokazi led evidence from a Section 204 witness and police officers who attended the scene.
The court found that Gamede had not been present when the robbery was initially planned and did not know that firearms would be used.
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Both men were declared unfit to possess firearms.
The NPA welcomed the sentences and said it hoped the outcome would provide some measure of comfort and closure to Ogle’s family.