Barberton man receives life sentence for murder of partner
The 40-year-old pleaded not guilty to killing his partner, who was 19 at the time, but several witnesses testified against him, leading to the conviction and sentencing.
Velly Teddy “Simbarara” Thwala (40) from Barberton has been convicted for premeditated murder of his girlfriend, Nontobeko Nosipho Msithini (19), and sentenced to life imprisonment by the Mpumalanga Division of the High Court recently.
According to the Mpumalanga spokesperson of the National Prosecuting Authority, Monica Nyuswa, the incident came to light when Thwala was seen pushing a bag with blood dripping from it in a trolley which some community members forced him to open and found the body of Msithini.
“On the evening of February 18, 2023, Thwala fell asleep and when he woke up he realised that his girlfriend was no longer in his house. He was informed that she was seen at a certain tavern with her ex-boyfriend. He got angry and, armed with a knobkerrie, went to look for her. He assaulted her with the knobkerrie all over her body, while dragging her towards his house. When he noticed that she was no longer breathing, he put the body in a black bag,” she said.
Nyuswa said the Thwala had terminated the services of his legal representative and elected to conduct his defence. He denied the allegations levelled against him and pleaded not guilty.
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“The state prosecutor, Antionette Nkosi, led the testimonies of several witnesses. One told the court that he saw Thwala assaulting the woman until she became unconscious. Other witnesses testified that they saw the Thwala push the body in a trolley to the dumping site. The confession Thwala made upon his arrest was also admitted in court.”
According to Nyuswa, Nkosi addressed the court about the seriousness of the offence the accused was convicted of and the prevalence of femicide cases in the country.
“The presiding judge remarked that the victim died the most painful death in the hands of Thwala who was supposed to love her. Thwala had no regard for her life after he violently assaulted her and even extinguish his cigarette on her lips before she died.”
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The court declared Thwala unfit to possess a firearm in terms of the Firearms Control 60 of 2000.
