Life behind bars: Hillary Gardee’s alleged killer sentenced for double murder of sisters

The convicted Hlabirwa Rassie Nkuna was sentenced to two life imprisonment terms at the Mpumalanga High Court on Thursday 18 May for the double murder of his girlfriend and her sister Marcia last year.

The sentence comes after the 37-year-old pleaded guilty on Tuesday this week to murdering his girlfriend Pretty Mazibuko and her police sergeant sister Marcia, in Kanyamazane, outside Mbombela (formerly known as Nelspruit), on 15 May 2022.

Mpumalanga sisters’ murder, Hillary Gardee co-accused

A month ago, Nkuna and his three co-accused had charges of killing Hillary Gardee provisionally withdrawn by the court after a key state witnesses vanished. 

Gardee, the daughter of former Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) secretary-general Godrich Gardee, was kidnapped and killed in April last year.

ALSO READ: State withdraws charges against Hillary Gardee murder suspects

Double murder case: GBV, cop killings highlighted

In handing down the sentence, Judge Takalani Vincent Ratshibvumo, said that in his plea statement, Nkuna failed to give the court genuine reasons for the murders.

He stated that the word must go out to the entire Mbombela community that the court will not tolerate the perpetrators of crimes against women in society.

ALSO READ: Anele Tembe latest: NPA to reopen case of AKA’s ex due to ‘crucial evidence’

The trial started on Monday 15 May and was postponed to Tuesday, when Ratshibvumo handed down the verdict.

During the aggravation of the sentence on Wednesday, Advocate Zwelethu Mata presented a victim impact statement compiled by court preparation officer Nomfundo Mokoena.

Nkuna was charged with two counts of murder and two counts of attempted murder. The state, however, withdrew the attempted murder charges.

According to the Mpumalanga National Prosecuting Authority’s (NPA) Monica Nyuswa, the double murder case highlights two very important things happening in our society.

“One, it is highlighting the scourge of gender-based violence, and two, the emerging killings of officers in our society. The sentence imposed on the accused today is a clear indication that the NPA is taking these kinds of crimes seriously. We are satisfied with the sentence imposed on the accused. We hope it will deter future offenders.”

ALSO READ: 100 days to make a difference: SA’s bold move against GBVF

Nkuna ‘will come back and face the music’ in Hillary Gardee case – NPA

Nyuswa said the NPA is aware that Nkuna was accused number four in the Gardee murder case.

“The case was provisionally withdrawn, I think few weeks ago. We are still busy with the matter; we are busy tracing witnesses. Once we have found all the witnesses, we will reinstate it and Nkuna will come back and face the music.”

Mazibuko sisters’ mother speaks out

Samaria Mazibuko, the victims’ mother, said: “After this sentence today, I am sure I will be able to sleep. I think I will be able to get back to my normal self and to drive. Since this incident occurred, I have not been okay”.

“Another thing that hurts me is that at the time when he ran away, I was not sure about his whereabouts. I was scared. I remember there was a day when I thought I could hear someone walking up the stairs. I walked around the house to check if there was a place that was open and maybe a person managed to enter. I was not free.

“I appreciate what the law has done, and it made me happy,” she said.

Edited by Cornelia le Roux.
This article originally appeared in Lowvelder and was republished with permission. Read the original article here.