Man receives 20 years’ imprisonment after beating girlfriend to death

The Mpumalanga Division of the High Court on Monday sentenced a man to 20 years’ imprisonment for the murder of his girlfriend.

Abdul Samson Malambe, 36, pleaded guilty and was convicted of the murder of Zanele Jeanet Mnisi.

“On 18 January 2017, Mnisi went to visit Malambe at his parental home. Later in the evening, they went to sleep in his room, which is situated outside the main house,” Mpumalanga regional National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Monica Nyuswa said in a statement on Monday.

“When they got into the room, Mnisi’s phone rang and Malambe recognised the number from a previous occasion, which led to an argument,” she added.

During the argument, Malambe took a broomstick and hit her several times.

He fled the scene when he realised that his girlfriend was no longer breathing, leaving her lifeless body in his bedroom. He was arrested the next day.

Senior State advocate Derrick Mashego told the court that domestic violence is a scourge against women and should not be taken lightly.

“He said it had to be deplored and had to be severely punished. He added that hardly a day passes without a report in the media of a woman being beaten, raped or even killed in this country,” said Nyuswa.

“Many women live in constant fear for their lives. This is, in some respect, a negation of many of their fundamental rights, such as equality, human dignity and bodily integrity. Therefore, people like Malambe must be removed from the society.”

The judge told the court the rate of femicide was high, and every three hours a woman is killed.

“She added that Malambe’s conduct had left Mnisi’s family in distress. She sentenced him to 20 years direct imprisonment and was further declared unfit to possess a firearm,” Nyuswa said.

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