Neelam Rahim | neelam@radioislam.co.za

3-minute read
14 July 2023 | 18:25 CAT

Convicted murderer (middle) and accomplices (left and right) of Hafez Riyad Vally at the Johannesburg High Court on 11 July 2023. Image: Radio Islam International

A 31-year-old man was found guilty of murdering 36-year-old Hafez Riyad Vally, who was brutally gunned down as he got home from work on January 19 2021.

Three suspects were arrested on February 4 2021, for business robbery and murder and held at Sun City Prison. The suspects attended Palmridge High Court several times until the case was appealed and sent for trial on April 4 2023, at the Johannesburg High Court. The case was in review until July 3, 2023, when the defence requested a more lenient sentence, and the case was postponed to July 11 2023.

The suspects appeared in the Johannesburg High Court on Tuesday, standing with no remorse as the judgement was read out.

31-year-old Good Boy Mtunu was sentenced to life in prison plus 25 years, while his 26 and 28-year-old accomplices got a 15 years prison sentence.

The robbery occurred at a spaza shop rented out by the victim’s family in Lenasia Extension 10 on the same premises as their home. It’s understood that the three convicted men entered the shop, demanding airtime, money and cigarettes.

During the robbery, the victim had stopped outside the shop in a blue motor vehicle when Mtunu opened fire, shooting him before fleeing the scene on foot. Sustaining multiple bullet wounds while still inside the vehicle, the paramedics were called to the crime scene and certified the victim dead.

While mourning a son, a nephew, and a brother, the family extends their heartfelt gratitude to Detective Ndlovu and his dedication toward the case leaving no stone unturned and keeping the family informed throughout.

“The Rabia Vally family are pleased with the police and justice system as the perpetrators were apprehended within two weeks of the incident,” says Farhaad Mitha, the victim’s uncle.

Pleased that justice was served, the victim’s sister, Bibi Fatima Vally, added, “My mum is really heartbroken; she cries for my brother everyday of her life. She’s traumatized, heartbroken, stressed and very sick since the incident, but she is very happy that the law served justice.”