Woman sentenced for 2022 murder of police officer in Pienaar
The Mbombela High Court sentenced a woman to 20 years’ imprisonment for the murder of a police officer, Sergeant Mandlenkosi Happy Thwala. He was killed in Pienaar in 2022.
Zanele Mkhonto (30) was found guilty and sentenced by the Mbombela High Court for the murder of KaBokweni police sergeant Mandlenkosi Happy Thwala (45).
Thwala was killed in Gedlembane Trust in Pienaar on August 2, 2022, by Mkhonto. She was sentenced to 20 years’ direct imprisonment.
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According to the Mpumalanga spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority, Monica Nyuswa, the convict had pleaded guilty in November last year.
“She told the court she was in a romantic relationship with Thwala and that they had resided together in Gedlembane Trust in Pienaar from January to July 2022. She left for her parental home after realising that their relationship was volatile,” said Nyuswa.
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“In August 2022, she visited Thwala in Gedlembane and an altercation between the two ensued. He fell asleep and Mkhonto took his service pistol and fatally shot him several times. She then left the scene, taking the firearm and his vehicle. On her way to her home in Masoyi, she came across a roadblock in Zwelisha near KaBokweni and threw away the firearm, which was later found by the members of the public.”
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Nyuswa said Mkhonto had informed her friend about the crime she committed, and the police were alerted. She was subsequently arrested and the State successfully opposed her release on bail.
“In aggravation of sentence, the State argued that the offender had not shown any remorse for her actions. Instead, she attempted to trivialise her actions by untested narratives via presentence reports. The victim impact statements were handed in and detailed how Thwala’s death affected his family,” Nyuswa said.
The judge remarked that the killing of a police officer is a loss to the State and society at large, and found substantial and compelling circumstances justifying deviation from the ordained minimum sentence of life. Mkhonto was further declared unfit to possess a firearm in terms of Section 103 of the Firearms Control Act 60 of 2000.
