Man gets 20 years for killing the mother of his child

A 29-year-old man was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment after he pleaded guilty to the murder of the mother of his four-year-old child.

Jabulane Vusi Mhaule was sentenced on Thursday at the Mpumalanga High Court for the June 2018 murder.

The spokesperson of the director of public prosecutions in Mpumalanga, Monica Nyuswa, said Mhaule stated in his plea statement that he and the deceased were in a love relationship and lived together for seven years.

“After experiencing problems in their relationship, the deceased took a decision to end the relationship and moved out of the home they were sharing with the accused.

“Two months after the breakup, the deceased went to fetch the shoes she left in their apartment and a heated argument ensued over the breakup. The accused took a panga, struck the deceased several times on the head and she succumbed to her injuries. After committing the offence Mhaule handed himself to the police and was eventually arrested.”

In aggravation of sentence, state prosecutor Derrick Mashego submitted that Mhaule committed a serious offence, an offence that is prevalent in the country and part of the scourge of gender-based violence where women are killed by their partners.

“The accused killed the deceased because of his infidelity. Therefore a prescribed minimum sentence must be imposed.”

Handing down the sentence, Acting Judge Ratshibvumo told the court that this is clearly gender-based violence.

“The community deserves to live in a better world than this. A world in which a woman is able to move out of a relationship without fear of losing her life. But this world remains far-fetched and in our dreams, as long as cruel and heartless murderers like Mhaule are still free to roam the streets mingling with other humans,” Ratshibvumo said.

Mhaule was sentenced to 20 years direct imprisonment for the murder of his girlfriend and the mother of his child. The court further declared him unfit to possess a firearm.

The national prosecuting authority has welcomed the sentence.

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