Knysna undertaker sentenced to life for kidnap, murder of B&B neighbour

An undertaker has been sentenced to life imprisonment for kidnapping and murdering his friend and neighbour, a tour guide who ran a bed-and-breakfast business in Knysna on the Garden Route.

The body of Gladman Mawande Kondlo, owner of Wandu Tours and Stay, was found in bushes in January 2022. His legs and hands were tied, a cloth was stuffed in his mouth and a black bag covered his head. 

Waydon Bezuidenhout, 34, was sentenced by the Western Cape High Court sitting in Knysna to five years' imprisonment for kidnapping, life imprisonment for murder and 12 months' imprisonment for defeating or obstructing the administration of justice. 

Kondlo, who lived in the impoverished township of Khayalethu overlooking the town, converted his tiny, cement-block RDP house into a township bar and restaurant during the 2010 World Cup. The restaurant served dishes including liver and umphokoqo namasi (pap and sour milk). Steel plates filled with nuts and Karoo biltong welcomed guests.  

“The successful conviction and sentence came after senior state advocate Lenro Badenhorst pieced together circumstantial evidence which led the court to convict the accused,” National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila said on Wednesday.

“Badenhorst led several witnesses including police, crime scene experts, GPS and cellphone mapping experts and members of the family of the deceased.”

The investigation revealed Bezuidenhout and Kondlo had been friends for more than two years and lived in the same street. Bezuidenhout had slept in the bed and breakfast several times.

He was last seen with Kondlo and three other people, including a woman, entering a vehicle on January 15 2022.

Bezuidenhout was arrested in August 2022 and pleaded not guilty to all charges.

“His arrest followed forensic evidence, blood, which was found in the boot of an SUV which he hired on January 14 2022 to transport mourners to a funeral which Cassandra Funerals conducted on the morning of January 15 2022 at The Crags, near Plettenberg Bay,” said Ntabazalila.  

“The vehicle and the accused’s cellphone were also traced using a vehicle tracker and cellphone mapping. They showed the accused visited the crime scene several times where the deceased’s body was later found.”  

The court heard Bezuidenhout asked to testify in camera to disclose information that posed a risk to the safety of his family. He claimed to have approached a local drug kingpin as he needed money to buy a hearse for his business and agreed to become involved in a drug distribution network. They made it clear that once he was in, there was no way out. 

Bezuidenhout claimed he was instructed by the kingpin to kill Kondlo. The kingpin purportedly wanted to take over the bed-and-breakfast business.

“Badenhorst argued during the trial that the accused was a principal offender who assisted an unknown female and male to kidnap the accused from his home,” said Ntabazalila.  

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