Sighs of relief and fist pumping were on full display from the gallery in the Makhanda high court on Wednesday as Lunga Nqayi was sentenced to life imprisonment for the premeditated murder of Eastern Cape businesswoman Nokwanda Patocka. Nqayi, 47, a former bakery driver, who was convicted of the murder on Tuesday by judge Tembekile Malusi, was further sentenced to five years’ imprisonment, to run concurrently.
A bitter dispute has erupted in ANC circles over a statement released by the party’s regional executive committee on Tuesday that announced Oscar Mabuyane as the preferred candidate for deputy president ahead of the national elective conference in December.