Gunman sentenced in SAfrica historian's murder

JOHANNESBURG, Feb 22 (Reuters) A judge in South Africa's KwaZulu-Natal sentenced a man to 25 years in prison today after he confessed to shooting renowned Zulu War historian David Rattray.

Rattray's murder rattled the crime-weary nation and intensified debate in South Africa over violent crime.

Thembinkosi Ndlovu, 24, told the court today he fired two shots at Rattray during a botched robbery at the historian's Fugitives' Drift lodge in Nquthu on January 26, SAPA news agency reported.

Ndlovu, who was among a group of men who set out to rob the lodge, said he shot Rattray on the instructions of another intruder, SAPA said.

KZN Judge President Vuka Tshabalala sentenced him to 25 years in prison, rather than life in prison as prescribed by South African law. Ndlovu will be eligible for parole after serving 18 years.

Noting the defendant had pled guilty to the crime, expressed remorse, had a clean record and came from a poor background, the judge said he found compelling reasons to hand down the more lenient sentence, SAPA said.

Rattray, 48, was a friend of Britain's Prince Charles who was famous for his oral accounts of fighting between British troops and Zulu warriors in the 19th century.

The South African government is under growing pressure to address sky-high rates of murder and rape as the country prepares to host the 2010 soccer World Cup and the tens of thousands of tourists expected to visit during the tournament.

South Africa has one of the world's highest murder rates and its police force is often criticised for failing to catch criminals.

But Rattray's murder spurred action, with arrests and confessions coming within weeks of the killing.

On February 5, Fethe Nkwanyana, 23, was sentenced to 25 years in jail by Judge Jan Hugo in the Pietermaritzburg High Court after pleading guilty to the crime.

A third suspect, Simphiwe Ndlovu, also has been charged with murder in connection with the case.

Admirers have praised Rattray for boosting interest in KwaZulu-Natal's history. He was about to finish a new history book of the Anglo-Zulu conflict and was regarded as a world authority on the Zulu martial tradition.

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