Durban - THE family of uMlazi gender activist Lindokuhle Cele want the man accused of his murder to be sentenced to life imprisonment.
Mvuyisi Mabhuti Noguda had told the Durban High Court the murder was not premeditated, saying it was “a spur of the moment rage”.
Cele, an LGBTQI activist, was stabbed all over his body and was found with the knife still lodged in his face in February.
He was rushed to Prince Mshiyeni Memorial hospital where he died later that day.
Speaking to the Daily News ahead of the judgment tomorrow, Cele’s aunt, Nombuso Cele, said they wanted the kind of justice that would send a strong message to other killers.
Nombuso said the family had not come to terms with Cele’s death and most were still undergoing counselling. “He was the light of the family. Despite being an orphan from a young age, he never used that as an excuse.
But he got himself education and pursued his dreams. At the time of his death, he had been signed by a big recording company in Johannesburg.
“He was about to relocate and live his music dream. His death was a huge loss. We lost a breadwinner.” At the start of trial last week, Noguda had pleaded guilty to murder, but denied it was premeditated. Noguda told the court he had heard through a friend that Cele had drugged and raped him on January 1.
He ended up spending the night at a friend’s house where he, Cele and friends had been drinking. He told the court he did not open a criminal case against Cele, instead he relocated to live with relatives on the Bluff for about three weeks.
When he returned to uMlazi, he claimed the episode of the rape incident came rushing back. “I was so furious and shocked. I pulled the knife and stabbed him several times.”
Daily News