Accused sentenced to 22 years for stabbing lover to death
The accused stabbed the deceased to death with a pair of scissors.
The Mpumalanga Division of the High Court sentenced a 63 year old man to 22 years in prison for the murder of his 26-year-old girlfriend.
On Monday, the court sentenced Derrick Mazambane to direct imprisonment for the murder. The court heard that the accused and the deceased were in a love relationship and staying together in their rented apartment in Masoyi.
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In October 2018, they had a heated argument which resulted in Mazambane stabbing the deceased to death with a pair of scissors.
Mazambane was arrested on same day after he was apprehended by the community who handed him to the police.
During trial, the accused pleaded not guilty.
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Senior state advocate, Kenneth Mashile, led testimony of another tenant who told the court that he heard the accused and the deceased arguing in the language he could not understand, and all of a sudden the deceased came and fell next to his bed and died. The post-mortem report showed that the deceased sustained 11 stabbed wounds. The accused was found guilty as charged.
In aggravation of sentence, the state further addressed the court to impose a harsh sentence, as intimate partner murders are prevalent in our society, in order to fight the scourge.
“The NPA is satisfied with the sentence as it demonstrates its commitment in the fight against gender-based violence,” said Monica Nyuswa, spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority.
