Durban - There was jubilation in the Durban High Court after Thabani Mzolo was found guilty for the murder of MUT student Zolile Khumalo.
Judge Nompumelelo Radebe found that the State had proved beyond reasonable doubt that Mzolo shot and killed Khumalo. The court rejected his evidence that Khumalo had shot herself during a scuffle over the gun.
Radebe also rejected Mzolo's evidence as untruthful and called him "blatant liar" .
Radebe said the termination of the love relationship was not accepted by Mzolo and subsequently took a decision to kill her.
Radebe said Mzolo went to Lonsdale student residence in the Durban CBD on May 1, 2018, under the pretense of visiting a friend and used Simiso Buthelezi to gain access to the premises armed with an unlicensed firearm.
Radebe said Mzolo confronted Khumalo in her room and reportedly warned her to "stop making him a fool."
Radebe said Mzolo then taunted Khumalo, saying: "Call me a dog because I have been sniffing for you the whole day".
Mzolo claimed that his calls were unanswered and had asked Buthelezi to check if she was in her room.
Thabani Mzolo has been found guilty of the murder of his ex-girlfriend, Zolile Khumalo
Picture: Doctor Ngcobo/African News Agency(ANA)
Khumalo was shot three times. The bullets to the chest landed the fatal blow.
Radebe found that Buthelezi's evidence corroborated the evidence of the post mortem and other evidence presented by the state.
"His evidence was also corroborated by the prima residue report which tested positive for gun powder. The murder was planned and executed by Mzolo," Radebe said.
Radebe also found, through the evidence of Nosipho Bhengu, that Khumalo had ended the relationship and that the reason was because Mzolo was abusive, over possessive and had threatened to kill Khumalo if she ended the relationship was true.
"In fact he had admitted to threatening her, but said he had been kicking her. He wanted the court to believe that it was a joke - such a brutal joke," said Radebe.