Pretoria – Julius Lucas, the Tanzanian national convicted of the murder of the 2019 murder of young South African actor Sibusiso Khwinana, 25, will hear his fate today, when he is sentenced in the North Gauteng High Court.
In February, the 36-year-old Lucas, was found guilty of murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances and contravening the Immigration Act by the superior court in Pretoria.
Following the conviction, Gauteng police spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel Mavela Masondo said Lucas stabbed and killed Khwinana during a robbery of a cellphone at Sterland Mall in Arcadia, Pretoria.
“The police arrested him and the investigating officer gathered and presented all the evidence to court, which led to the successful conviction by Judge Portia Phahlane,” Masondo said.
In congratulating the investigating officer, Warrant Officer Phuti Thlotse, and all the police officers who were involved in the arrest, the South African Police Service in Gauteng said the conviction showed that the SAPS would not leave a stone unturned in pursuit of killers.
After convicting Lucas in February, the court set the sentencing date to March 28.
In December, Khwinana’s family breathed a sigh of relief as the trial of Lucas, who killed the ‘Matwetwe’ star officially started.
At the time, Khwinana's father Nelson Khwinana told Pretoria News that he was relieved that there was finally some movement in the case, as the family had been seeking answers for the senseless killing of his third son since March 1, 2019.
He said his wife had opted to stop coming to court due to the slow progress and frequent postponements.
Khwinana was stabbed in March 2019 during a robbery outside Sterland Mall in Arcadia, Pretoria, where he had attended the screening of ‘Matwetwe’, the locally-produced movie he starred in.
According to the police, Khwinana and a friend were on the corner of Pretorius Street and Steve Biko Road when Lucas accosted him and demanded his cellphone.
The actor was stabbed with a sharp object in the upper body as he tussled for his cellphone, and was certified dead on the scene.
IOL