An Alex man was recently detained pending sentencing by the Alexandra Magistrates’ Court for a case of murder over a piece of meat.
The suspect, Siyabonga Madlala, will be sentenced on 21 September after he pleaded guilty to the murder of Justice Mamabolo on 16th Avenue in December 2013.
The 25-year-old Madlala told the court that he committed the murder in self-defense and to protect his business.
The conviction resulted from an inquest ordered by the magistrate, accompanied by an eyewitness account.
The witness, a woman, informed the court that on the day of the murder at about 11.30pm, she was standing at the gate of her house when she saw Madlala, who she knew as a spaza operator, fighting with another man. She saw the suspect stabbing the victim while shouting at Mamabolo to give him back the meat he had stolen from his braai stand.
She also saw him pick up a knife from a table and stab Mamabolo in the chest. The victim collapsed. The witness said Madlala then ran away.
Police and Emergency Management Services were contacted and on arrival, certified the victim dead.
The corpse was then taken to the government mortuary and Madlala was arrested by police after he returned to his spaza.
