AXE murderer Nowa Makula has been handed six life sentences over the killing of his girlfriend and five children. One of the children was a six-month-old baby.
The 32-year-old appeared in the Elliotdale Regional Court in the Eastern Cape on Monday. He had pleaded guilty to all six counts of murder on March 25.
The court said the killings and destruction of innocent souls amounted to a massacre.
Police spokesperson Thembinkosi Kinana detailed how Makula attacked the family in their shack at Sidabekweni Village in November before attempting to flee the country.
He said Makula was arrested in less than 24 hours, miles away from the crime scene at Ginsberg Township, King Williams Town, in a place where his brother lived.
“The court heard that he was upset and, as such, decided to kill the mother and children because the mother had cheated on him.
“On that sad and traumatising morning, the detectives witnessed horrific scenes of human bodies strewn all over the shack in which the six occupied as their home. Every document, which included ID, cellphones and other valuables, were cut into pieces, presumably by the axe-wielding, bitter and jealous Nowa Makula,” said Kinana.
After an investigation which included verification of his citizenship, the Zimbabwean man eventually admitted to murdering his six victims.
Delivering sentence, the magistrate said South Africa was a constitutional country that was governed by the rule of law.
The magistrate said the killings were unnecessary and were motivated by selfishness as Makula did not demonstrate any remorse but attempted to escape.
Eastern Cape police commissioner Liziwe Ntshinga has welcomed the sentence.
“I am standing here a proud leader of these teams and I must also appreciate the role of the National Prosecuting Authority in ensuring that the work of our detectives prevails in court,” he said.
“I also cannot overemphasise the support of our communities. We are grateful as the police family.”