Pretoria – The Nelspruit Regional Court has sentenced 48-year-old Bhuti Khuli Khumalo to 33 years imprisonment after being convicted on charges of murder, unlawful possession of an automatic firearm and unlawful possession of ammunition.
Hawks provincial spokesperson in Mpumalanga, Captain Dineo Lucy Sekgotodi said the stiff sentence follows an incident which occurred on December 16, 2015 at Clau-Clau, in Kabokweni, where Khumalo murdered his girlfriend’s mother.
“He entered the house of his then girlfriend and fatally shot her mother, in front of her and her siblings. The couple had an argument prior to the incident. The accused then left the crime scene,” said Sekgotodi.
The investigation was transferred to the Nelspruit-based Hawks serious organised crime investigation, where Khumalo was traced and apprehended at his hideout in Kabokweni on February 16, 2016.
“During his arrest, he took the police to his house at Zwelisha where he pointed out the firearm he used during the commission of the crime,” said Sekgotodi.
Khumalo appeared in court several times, and he was later granted bail. While on bail, he missed his next court appearances and a warrant for his arrest was issued.
“The police did not rest until he was traced and arrested while trying to flee to Mozambique in 2019. He was then kept in custody until his conviction on May 12, 2022.
“Khumalo was sentenced on Thursday to 15 years in prison for murder, 15 years in prison for unlawful possession of a firearm and three years imprisonment for unlawful possession of ammunition,” Sekgotodi said.
The court ordered that the sentence for murder and possession of the firearm run concurrently.
Khumalo was also declared unfit to possess a firearm.
Meanwhile, Mpumalanga provincial head of the Hawks, Major General Zodwa Mokoena has welcomed Khumalo’s sentencing, describing him as a “rigorous killer”.
“There will be no stone left unturned in Mpumalanga when it comes to crime, more especially where a firearm is involved,” said Mokoena.
IOL