Update: 2 December, 3 pm
The sentencing of Former Yeoville Community Police Forum, deputy chairperson, Patrick Wisani has been postponed to 12 December at the Randburg High Court.
On 21 November, the Randburg High Court found Former Yeoville Community Police Forum, deputy chairperson, Patrick Wisani guilty of murdering his girlfriend.
Wisani was arrested in September 2015, for beating his girlfriend, Nosipho Mandleleni, to death with a broomstick and sjambok. He later handed himself over to Yeoville police.
Read: Former YCPF member arrested for murder
Initial story: 25 November
Former Yeoville Community Police Forum, deputy chairperson, Patric Wisani was found guilty of murdering his girlfriend, in the High Court in Randburg on 21 November.
Wisani was arrested in September last year for beating his girlfriend Nosipho Mandleleni to death with a broomstick and sjambok. He handed himself over to Yeoville police after Mandleleni was found dead in the couple’s rented house at the Corner of Webb and Fortesque streets.
Wisani was also the chairperson of the ANCYL inner city branch at the time.
Wisani represented himself in the trial and the court rejected the accused’s version of events. Judge Mohamed Ismail also found Wisani guilty of the lesser charges of assault and intimidation of state witness and Nosipho’s twin sister, Siphokazi, and of her friend, Zimbini Mathibe.
Read: Former YCPF member arrested for murder
It was alleged that he assaulted the pair in May in an attempt to prevent Siphokazi from testifying against him in the murder trial. Siphokazi testified that Wisani had threatened to ‘kill her like he did to her sister’ if she gave evidence to the court. She told the court how she heard her sister screaming in Wisani’s room on the night of her murder. She reportedly went to Wisani’s room and when he opened the door he was holding a bloodied broomstick in his hand.
Yeoville Bellevue No to gender-based violence coalition has been supporting the Mandleleni family since the trial began. Maurice Smithers, a coordinator for the coalition said he was disappointed by the lack of coverage of the trial and also the lack of support from the ANC Women’s League.
Read: Wisani back in court
“Lives were affected and a young woman lost her life… The women’s league is supposed to protect the interests of women,” said Smithers.
Throughout the 14-month trial a coalition of civil society including Sonke Gender Justice, Peace and Justice, Lawyers for Human Rights, People Opposing Women Abuse, and the Inner City Women’s Forum, monitored the case closely to make sure that Wisani was indeed held to account and that Mandleleni and her family received justice.
Sentencing will take place on 28 November at the Randburg High Court.
