The application for leave to appeal of Philakahle Hloniphani Dladla, 28, who was sentenced on Thursday by the Durban High Court to life imprisonment for brutally killing KwaDukuza senior superintendent Mariemuthoo Arumugam, has been delayed.
Dladla, who shot Arumugam six times at close range on November 4, 2024, continues to deny committing the crime.
The incident began when Dladla boarded a taxi from the KwaDukuza taxi rank and instructed the driver, Bheki Xulu, to take the Groutville off-ramp. He then robbed Xulu of R1100 at gunpoint before ordering him to stop and proceeding to rob the passengers.
Arumugam, driving a white Toyota Fortuner and in full police uniform, noticed the stationary taxi at the Groutville off-ramp and approached it to enquire. When he enquired, Dladla quickly opened fire, shooting the officer dead in front of the passengers. Dladla then drove the taxi to a nearby township, continued robbing the passengers of their cellphones, locked the taxi, and fled the scene.
During the mitigation of sentence proceedings earlier this week, Dladla sought to stop the process and appeal his conviction, denying his presence in the taxi during the robbery and denying that he pulled the trigger.
“I sympathise with the family members with what happened to their relative, although it is not me. When I listen to the evidence, the person had no intention to do what he did, so I sympathise with them.”
During court proceedings on Friday, Dladla’s lawyer, Advocate Musa Chiliza from Legal Aid South Africa, informed the court that following consultation, they required the judgment delivered by Acting Judge Vikela Ntlokwana to properly address the issues of the identification parade in their application for leave to appeal.
He said they were looking into transcripts of the judgment day proceeding, stating that once they received these documents, they would be able to proceed with the appeal. A new date for the appeal is expected to be considered around March or early April, once the defence is fully prepared.
Meanwhile, KwaDukuza Municipality Mayor Siduduzo Gumede welcomed Dladla’s sentence, agreeing with Judge Ntlokwana’s view that any act preventing police from protecting the community, resulting in an officer’s death, constitutes an attack on society.
Gumede commended all role players for ensuring justice and bringing closure, stating that the sentence was not only justice for Arumugam’s family, but for all law enforcement agencies.
He pledged continued support for the officer’s family and committed to honouring his memory by strengthening community safety efforts.
“May this verdict serve as a strong warning that violence against those who serve and protect will never go unpunished,” he emphasised.
Arumugam’s elder brother, Buffy, acknowledged Dladla’s right to appeal and stated: “As a family, we are happy with the sentence.”
In addition to the life sentence, Acting Judge Ntlokwana further sentenced Dladla to 15 years’ imprisonment for each of the two counts of robbery with aggravating circumstances and five years each for unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition. Dladla was also declared unfit to possess a firearm.
