Professor Patrick Montrose Smythe

Professor Patrick Montrose Smythe (1913 - 1999)

Brief overview:

Patrick (86), a retired Paediatrician and academic who lived alone on his farm in Nottingham Road, Midlands, was attacked, and severely beaten by four perpetrators in July 1999. He walked for nearly a kilometre to find help. Patrick passed from his injuries a month later.

Patrick's neighbour, John Campbell, testified in court that on the night of the attack, he answered a midnight knock on his door to find the bleeding professor.

The police and neighbours were alerted about the attack and conducted a search for the stolen bakkie and this lead them to Zwelibanzi Mayaba's house. Stolen property and six rifles were recovered from the area surrounding Mayaba's home.

Brief Biography:

• Other Victims/Family
• Funeral/Memorial
• The Farm/Smallholding
• The Region (Land disputes, other incidents etc.)

Attack Details:

• Date and time of attack
• Weapons
• Items Stolen
• Investigative officer/SAPS Case No:
• Torture, Gratuitous violence
• Indications of Hate Crime? Threats etc.

Perpetrator details:

• Number and Descriptions
• Arrests
• Name/s and age/s of Perpetrator/s
• Country of origin of Perpetrator/s
• Trial/Conviction
  • In September 2000, Zwelibanzi Mayaba (47), Sifiso Xaba (24), Sthembiso Senye (20), and Phisamandla Mbatha (26), appeared in the Pietermaritzburg high court on charges of conspiring to rob Smythe by using force and violence.
  • Acting Justice Faisel Moola convicted Zwelibanzi Mayaba, Sifiso Xaba (24), Sthembiso Senye (20), and Phisamandla Mbatha (26), on charges of housebreaking with the intent to rob, robbery with aggravating circumstances, unlawful possession of firearms and the unlawful possession of ammunition. However, they were found not guilty on a murder charge. Moola said the State failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Smythe died as a direct result of being beaten by his attackers.

Additional Biographical Information:

• Official cause of death : Unnatural
• ID Number : 1305095020089

Links to Media articles:

• https://archive.is/Kt6Kj
• https://archive.is/ZJxWP
• Reference: MyHeritage Family Trees - SmartCopy: Nov 27 2022, 19:02:38 UTC
• https://archive.is/REf1x
• https://natalia.org.za/Files/29/Natalia%20v29%20obituaries%20Smythe...