‘If a person can do that to their own sister, what will they do to a stranger? Family members have to look out for each other, you did the opposite. You took the life of the very person who fed you.’
The acting High Court judge, Ian Derek Cox vehemently summed the brutal murder offence by 40-year-old Themba Mbele for killing his 29-year-old sister, Nomsa Thinyane in Wedela, Carletonville on 23 March last year.
The killing is believed to have been sparked by a family feud. The two had been living in the same house since the death of their parents.
Judge Cox sentenced him to life imprisonment in the High Court sitting in the Potchefstroom Magistrates’ Court last Friday morning.
The empty courtroom stood in stark contrast to the sensational case that shocked the community of Wedela last year.
On that fateful day, Mbele stabbed his sister multiple times before pouring boiling water all over her face. He then asked the deceased’s two sons to go view their mother’s naked body lying in a pool of blood. He later lied to the police and said she had committed suicide.
Dr Julian Jacobs, a medical officer who performed the autopsy on the body said in a report that the deceased had died from multiple injuries.
Adv. Jan Ellis, the defence, arguing for mitigation of sentence said the accused has a 9-year-old son living with his mother. He said he did casual jobs to support the child and has already been in custody for 20 months. ‘He would have expressed his sorrow to family members if he had been given a chance. He pleaded guilty and said: “I murdered my sister”,’ said Ellis.
Adv. Robert Molokoane, the state prosecutor, argued for aggravating circumstances, saying this incident had shocked the community. ‘We are dealing with the murder of a sister. The accused took the deceased’s children to go view their mother’s naked body holding a knife. This is gruesome, that is how brutal it was.
‘This is not his first murder. He took the life of someone whose children depended on her and a fiancé who loved her. He was supposed to play the brotherly role but chose to take her life. He was a monster in the house,’ said Molokoane. He also highlighted the increasing incidence of murder in Gauteng.
On passing sentence, Judge Cox said the killing of his sister was merciless. ‘This incident will haunt those two boys for the rest of their lives. That image will be imprinted in their minds for a very long time. They depended on the nurturing, love and security of their mother.
‘The accused has a total disrespect for the lives of human beings. Society deserves to be protected from people like you,’ said Judge Cox.
The defence applied for leave to appeal arguing that another court may come to a different conclusion. The judge denied leave to appeal, however, and argued that the murder of his sister had been pre-planned.
