Montclair murder accused handed life sentence
A MONTCLAIR pastor has praised detectives for their good work, after a life sentence was imposed on a man who killed a local resident, 59-yearold Graham Garlick.
Mandla Mampeza Mncube, who had worked as a caregiver to Garlick’s father until he died, but continued to live on the property, was recently found guilty in the Durban Regional Court of murder and theft.
Mncube stabbed Garlick, wrapped his body in a blanket, placed it in his bakkie and drove off to uMlazi. Mncube then dumped the body on the pavement and abandoned the bakkie in uMlazi on Tuesday, March 7.
Police found the vehicle and after tracing its ownership, tried to contact Garlick. Montclair detectives went to Garlick’s home and found Mncube cleaning up bloodstains.
After questioning him about Garlick’s whereabouts, Mncube and two others were arrested. They then led police to where Garlick’s body was dumped.
Pastor Nick Marais, 73, of the Montclair Methodist Church, said he had known Garlick’s father for more than 40 years.
He said justice had been served but felt his friend’s life was stolen from them by Mn- cube. “I have been following the case since day one. This was swift justice. Captain Rico Naidoo, Warrant Officer Ganas Ramsamy and his team from Montclair worked tirelessly,” Marais said.
He warned others intent on committing crime that they would sow what they reaped. He had located Garlick’s relatives in England to keep them updated on the court proceedings.
“I spoke to them on Monday night. They were overwhelmed with the swift justice system. I felt terrible about conducting the memorial service of my close friend. His life was cut short. I have done 30-odd memorials but this was my first murder,” he said.
On Thursday, Mncube pleaded guilty in the Durban Regional Court and was sentenced to life for the murder and two years for theft of cash.
Mncube had withdrawn money from Garlick’s bank account using his ATM card. In addition, he received a fiveyear sentence for theft of Garlick’s bakkie.