Jealous lover sentenced to life imprisonment for murder
The state further led evidence of a pastor whom the accused made certain admissions to, as well as the evidence of his ex-girlfriend’s mother who told the court that they saw the accused looking and demanding to see the victims on the day of the incident.
Last week the Nelspruit High Court sitting in Graskop convicted and sentenced Carlton Never Mathebula (36) of Belfast Trust in the district of Thulamahashe to life imprisonment and an additional 43 years for killing his girlfriend and her sister.
The evidence is that in September 2016, Mathebula stole his father’s firearm and went to his girlfriend’s house where he shot and killed Loveness Lubisi who was his girlfriend and the girlfriend’s sister who was pregnant at that time. He then proceeded to his ex-girlfriend’s house, pointed the occupants with a firearm, demanding to know her whereabouts.
Mathebula was arrested the same day after the community reported the incident to the police.
During trial, Advocate Ntsika Mpolweni led testimonies of the brother of the two deceased who was present when the incident happened and the evidence of the doctor who testified about the cause of death of the victims .
The court found no substantial and compelling circumstances to deviate from imposing harsher sentences and Mathebula was sentenced to 15 years for theft of a firearm, 8 years for housebreaking and contravention of Section 120(6) of the Firearms Control Act, life imprisonment for murder of his girlfriend and 20 years for murdering the girlfriend’s sister.
