Durban: The Durban Metro police have welcomed the 20-year jail term handed to a former constable who shot dead his ex-girlfriend using his service pistol.
Constable Ndumiso Simiso Khumalo, 31, was sentenced to 20 years following his conviction and sentencing in the Pietermaritzburg High Court.
He was found guilty of shooting his ex-girlfriend Zinhle Muthwa in January 2020 with his service pistol.
Metro police spokesperson, Parbhoo Sewpersadh, said they welcomed the sentence and would not tolerate any form of gender-based violence saying that the officer was supposed to uphold the law and not break it.
Parbhoo confirmed the officer had been employed for 10 years.
According to the National Prosecuting Authority, the couple were in a relationship but broke up in 2019 after he suspected her of being unfaithful.
According to NPA spokesperson Natasha Kara said Khumalo had an altercation with Muthwa regarding one of her male acquaintances.
“It was at this stage that he decided to kill her and devised his plan accordingly. In December 2019, Khumalo hired a vehicle, and armed with his service pistol, drove to Muthwa’s house in Pinetown on the night of her murder.
“He convinced her to accompany him under the guise that he was going to buy alcohol. At some point, he shot and killed her. He drove to a secluded area near Umbumbulu where he dumped her body.”
In court, Senior State Advocate Denardo Macdonald led ballistic evidence showing that the bullet removed from Muthwa matched that of Khumalo’s service pistol, as well as video footage and evidence proving that the vehicle used in the commission of the murder was hired by Khumalo.
During court proceedings, Muthwa’s sister told the court how her sister’s death had impacted their family.
Kara said while the State argued for life imprisonment, the court deviated and sentenced Khumalo to an effective 20 years imprisonment, citing his age and no previous convictions as a substantive and compelling reason for the deviation.
IOL