A male suspect managed to escape while the female suspect was apprehended and handed over to the police for further investigations. Picture: iStock
The Sibasa Regional Court sentenced a 38-year-old man to 18 years’ imprisonment for killing Andries Mulaudzi of Davhana village in Limpopo.
On 21 February 2017, Joe James Chiwaya Munyaka and his accomplice arrived at their friend’s homestead.
They saw Mulaudzi and attacked him with a sharp object on the head without uttering a word. A passerby found Mulaudzi lying in the street and alerted the police.
Munyaka was arrested two days later. The trial experienced lengthy delays as the police were still tracing Munyaka’s accomplice, who is still at large.
Two eyewitnesses were called to testify and linked Munyaka to the offence.
In mitigation, Munyaka said he had been in custody since his arrest in 2017.
In aggravation of sentence, advocate Rabelani Mutsinda Makhera submitted that the court should impose the prescribed minimum sentence.
Acting regional magistrate Johnson Mukwevho found that there were no compelling and substantial circumstances warranting the court to deviate from the minimum sentence of 15 years and Munyaka was sentenced to 18 years.
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