Ayanda Dayi sentenced to four life terms for brutal murders in Delft and Dunoon

In a landmark ruling the High Court of South Africa, Western Cape Division, has sentenced Ayanda Dayi to four life terms and an additional 102 years of direct imprisonment for a string of brutal murders in Delft and Dunoon that shocked Cape Town.

The sentence was handed down yesterday at the circuit court sitting at the Wynberg Regional Court.

Dayi was convicted on four counts of murder, one count of attempted murder, two counts of robbery with aggravating circumstances, one count of theft, three counts of illegal possession of a firearm and three counts of illegal possession of ammunition.

The court imposed life imprisonment for each of the four murders. It further sentenced him to 15 years’ direct imprisonment for each robbery with aggravating circumstances count, five years for theft of a firearm, 15 years for each count of illegal possession of a firearm, four years for each count of illegal possession of ammunition, and 10 years’ direct imprisonment for attempted murder. He was also declared unfit to possess a firearm.

Acting Judge Van Leeve described Dayi’s actions as “extremely violent”, saying he had shown a total disregard for human life and posed a danger to society. The court noted that violent crime had become commonplace in Cape Town and South Africa and that people were confronted daily with reports of such offences in the media.

The convictions stem from two separate incidents in early 2024.

On the morning of May 16 2024, three men delivering bread in a Sasko truck were shot at point-blank range while at a spaza shop in Symphony Way, Delft. Two of the men were killed. The incident drew national attention after video footage of the shooting circulated widely.

Earlier, on January 24 2024, Dayi and an accomplice fatally shot Eric Yaphi and Elvis Thembelani Cwethiso in Usasaza Street, DuNoon, and robbed them of the vehicle Cwethiso had been driving.

In argument in aggravation of sentence, Senior State Advocate Esna Erasmus told the court that the families of Yaphi, Cwethiso and the two Delft victims had effectively received their own “life sentences” of grief, trauma and irreplaceable loss.

The court heard that Dayi had previous convictions, including robbery in 2002 and rape committed in 2007, for which he was sentenced to 18 years’ direct imprisonment. He was released on parole in April 2018 and was due to complete his sentence in July 2025. The court was told he reoffended while on conditional release.

The prosecution argued that the offences were planned and premeditated.

National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila said the sentence sent a strong message that violent crime would be met with firm consequences.

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