Murderer gets 20 years in prison
The Mpumalanga Division of the High Court sentenced Patric Khoza (40) to 20 years behind bars for murdering his former partner.
According to court evidence, Khoza murdered his ex-partner, Lourencia Zinhle Mathebula, on December 26, 2019.
The court heard that the relationship between the accused and Mathebula was abusive to a point that she applied for a protection order against him.
The relationship then eventually ended. He waited for an opportunity to strike and on the said day he met with Mathebula who was in the company of her brother. He then requested the brother to excuse them.
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The brother then went away for a while and on his return, he shockingly witnessed his sister being shot several times by the accused. T
he accused then fled the scene. Mathebula was certified dead by the paramedics and police at Elukwatini opened a murder case. A manhunt was immediately launched.
Khoza had already skipped the country and went into hiding in the Kingdom of eSwatini. Members of the Detectives Unit at Elukwatini worked tirelessly in their investigation and were assisted by members of the community who shared information with police on the whereabouts of Khoza.
Khoza was finally cornered and arrested on January 5, 2020, on the N17 while on his way back from the Kingdom of eSwatini. He was charged with the murder of Mathebula and went on trial where he was found guilty on August 23.
