A Cape Town man and his friends who brutally killed a woman after a session of heavy drinking were sentenced to life in prison on Monday.
Khayelitsha residents Phumlani Nyewe‚ Masimthembe Solontsi‚ Melikhaya Mgushelo and Thabiso Balithoba were sentenced by the High Court in Cape Town for the murder of Bongiwe Ninini.
Ninini was Nyewe’s ex-girlfriend. The 20-year-old’s body was found in an open cement drain on a field in Khayelitsha on July 18‚ 2015.
She had been assaulted with a beer bottle and a spade‚ among other objects. The four men‚ who were arrested a week later‚ denied killing her.
They faced kidnapping and murder charges and the evidence was overwhelming. Nyewe’s DNA was found on a sheet found at the murder scene and on the “spade under his bed where he had kept it since the night of the incident”.
Acting Judge Mushtak Parker rejected their version of events as “lies” and convicted them of murder. Only Nyewe‚ Balithoba and Solontsi took the stand.
“The evidence of each of the three accused can be described as being built on a very shaky ground‚” Parker said in his judgment.
“It was very telling that all four accused were friends at the time of the incident and remained friends to date‚ or at least until they testified. There is not even any suggestion of any friction‚ let alone animosity among them. Despite this‚ not one of them could come up with even a semblance of an explanation why his co-accused would falsely implicate him or attribute to him the most serious and violent/brutal conduct in killing [Ninini].”
Western Cape police commissioner‚ Lieutenant-General Khombinkosi Jula‚ welcomed the sentences.
“The team of detectives who worked on the case are lauded through their thorough investigation to ensure the four convictions‚” said Jula.
“As the SAPS worked closely with the community of Khayelitsha to reach this victory over heartless criminals. Community members are urged to continue to mobilise themselves into legitimate structures to continue making a difference on the crime front.”
- TMG Digital/TimesLIVE
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