Umbumbulu man sentenced for killing relative
The convict said the woman was killed because she recognised them after they broke into the house.
AN UMBUMBULU man has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for breaking into his grandmother’s house and murdering a relative of his that he found inside.
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Sizwe Sithole appeared at the Durban High Court for sentencing on September 7 after previously pleading guilty to the murder which happened in 2018 in Mvuzane, Umbumbulu. At a previous appearance, where he had pleaded guilty, Sithole told the court that he and his co-accused, Sifundo Phewa, arrived at his maternal grandmother’s house with the intention to steal, thinking no one was home. After getting no response after knocking at the door, Sithole said they broke the glass sliding door to gain entry, but once inside the house, they found Nozipho Zuma who recognised him. That is when, according to Sithole, they decided to kill Zuma.
“In the bedroom, I choked her with my hands with the intention to kill her as she had recognised us. She fell on the floor and became unconscious. I then went to another bedroom, leaving Phewa with Nozipho. When I came back, I saw that she was regaining consciousness. Phewa then took a pillow, put it on her face and used it to suffocate her, trying to kill her, but she still did not die. I then went to the kitchen to fetch a knife and gave it to Phewa. Phewa took the knife and stabbed her,” said Sithole.
While Phewa was allegedly stabbing Zuma, Sithole said he assisted by holding her down. Phewa pleaded not guilty to the murder and his case will be heard on October 2.
As Zuma was on the floor bleeding to death, Sithole said they looked for things to steal in the wardrobe in another bedroom. He said he found R1 500 which he took and also took the deceased’s cellphone. As they left the house, he said they wiped the fingerprints from the door.
Passing the sentence, acting Judge Kevin Gounden, noted that Sithole had expressed remorse and had no prior convictions. On top of the 25-year sentence, he imposed another seven-year sentence on Sithole for housebreaking with intent to kill. Both sentences will run concurrently.
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