Durban - After seeing his boyfriend cavorting with another man, Nkosinathi Emmanuel Mbatha fatally stabbed his boyfriend with a butter knife, days before Valentine’s Day.
He then posted a message on the other man’s Facebook page, telling him he had murdered Melusi Khumbule.
The 23-year-old pleaded guilty to a charge of murder on Monday in the Durban Regional Court.
Magistrate Fariedha Mohamed sentenced him to 12 years’ imprisonment.
The man, wearing a black T-shirt and black jeans, wept as his Legal Aid lawyer, advocate Donald Somo, read out his written plea.
Mbatha said he had been in a relationship with 20-year-old Khumbule. On February 11, at 8pm, he had seen him with another man in Mansel Road, off Umgeni Road in Durban, and they were suggestively flirting with each other.
He confronted them and in an angered state stabbed Khumbule and ran away.
He was arrested hours later by Detective Sivan Naidoo of the Durban Central detective branch after a tip-off.
Khumbule died of a stab wound to the chest.
Somo asked for the court’s mercy, saying his client had taken responsibility for his actions by pleading guilty and that it was a sign of remorse.
He argued that Mbatha could be rehabilitated and was a first offender who would reverse his actions if he could.
Prosecutor Calvin Govender argued that on the day in question, Mbatha did not think twice about killing Khumbule.
In handing down the sentence, Mohamed said there were several similar cases in court and the community was fed-up and looked to the court for a sentence to deter people.
“No matter the sentence, it will not bring back the deceased,” she said.
Daily News