BREAKING: Sadia Sukhraj killer sentenced to life imprisonment
Judge Esther Steyn found Mkhize guilty of two counts of murder and one of robbery with aggravating circumstances on Monday.
Sadia was shot during a botched hijacking in Shallcross, near Chatsworth south of Durban in May last year.
The incident sparked a massive outcry in the community, with residents calling on Police Minister Bheki Cele and President Cyril Ramaphosa to address crime in the area.
When sentencing Mkhize, Steyn refused to accept that this was his first offence. She referred to how he had been found in possession of stolen goods, including a vehicle, in 2014.
Mkhize stood motionless while learning his fate. He stared straight at the judge through his reading glasses, only moving when speaking to his attorney before heading back down to the holding cells beneath the court.
The Sukhraj family cried in their seats as Steyn read out her sentence.
The court found that Mkhize and Bulose took the Sukhraj's vehicle while Sadia's parents had been dropping her then 6-month-old baby brother off with their grandparents.
WATCH: Sadia Sukhraj's father testifies during sentencing
The 9-year-old was still in the car when Mkhize and Bulose sped off.During the trial it emerged that the girl may have been struck by a bullet fired by her father.
FULL STATEMENT: Court hears from Sadia's grief-stricken mother
