KZN cousins jailed for life for hacking pregnant woman to death

Two cousins have been jailed for life after they were found guilty of hacking a pregnant woman to death in Msinga, KZN.

The woman was also the mother of a five-year-old girl, who is also the daughter of one of the murderers.

The men, aged 21 and 28, were sentenced in the Greytown Regional Court.

The court heard that one of the men had been in a romantic relationship with the woman, and she had obtained a protection order against him.

On 2 December 2019, the woman, who was pregnant with someone else’s baby, was at her home with her daughter when the men broke down the door. They overpowered the woman and hacked her with a panga and a bush knife. She and the unborn child died following the attack, which lasted approximately half an hour.

Accused one then approached his daughter intending to kill her, but was stopped by his co-accused and they fled the scene. The child ran outside to get help from the neighbours.

The men subsequently handed themselves over to the police and were arrested.

In court, prosecutor Premie Naidoo led the testimony of the child, who had witnessed the attack on her mother.

The evidence of the neighbours who heard the deceased’s cries for help was also presented in court.

In convicting the men, the court found the child to be a reliable witness as she was able to identify the attackers and relate details of the incident. In aggravation of the sentence, the state handed in a victim impact statement compiled by the child. Therein, she said that she has nightmares about the incident and misses her mother very much.

The accused were sentenced and declared unfit to possess a firearm.

“The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) welcomes the successful finalisation of this matter. Together with our partners in the crime prevention cluster, we remain steadfast in our fight against gender-based violence and intimate-partner femicide,” says Natasha Ramkisson-Kara, NPA regional spokesperson.