Hefty sentence for Mpumalanga man who killed four relatives
The 32-year-old man shot and killed four of his family members after purchasing a firearm on the day of the incident.
Four life terms were imposed on Siyabonga Richard Sangweni (32) by the Mpumalanga Division of the High Court seated in Breyten on Tuesday, September 3.
According to a provincial police spokesperson, Colonel Donald Mdhluli, Sangweni was found guilty of fatally shooting four of his family members and seriously injuring another in Piet Retief on June 15, 2023, at about 18:00.
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“The family members who died that day were his 73-year-old grandmother and three children aged between three and six years. He seriously injured his 22-year-old sister.”
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Sangweni was arrested by the police immediately after the killings had taken place while hiding on the premises where they had occurred.
“During the time of his arrest, he was found in possession of his licensed firearm. Investigations revealed that he had purchased the firearm on the day of the incident. Sangweni was found guilty on four counts of murder and one of attempted murder. He was sentenced to four life sentences for the four murders plus 15 years’ imprisonment for attempted murder,” said Mdhuli.
The acting provincial police commissioner, Major General Dr Zeph Mkhwanazi, said the sentence should send a strong message to those who are in possession of firearms, that the weapons should only be used for defence purposes, not to commit crimes, in terms of the Firearms Control Act of South Africa.
