Durban – An ex-policeman has been sentenced to 41 years’ imprisonment after he gunned down his lover and her male friend in 2019.
National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson in Mpumalanga, Monica Nyuswa, said Irvin Malinga was off-duty and had taken his service pistol and an extra magazine to a tavern in Pienaar.
He arrived to find Nomvula Mhawule in the company of Justice Khoza.
“He withdrew his firearm and fatally shot Khoza and Mhawule. He then handed himself over to police,” she said.
A third person was also wounded but survived.
During the trial, two people testified what had transpired at the tavern, and their evidence was supported by the post-mortem report.
Judge Greyling Coetzer described the attack on the deceased and the surviving victim as “brutal” and sentenced Malinga to 15 years’ imprisonment for the murder of Khoza; 23 years’ imprisonment for his lover’s murder and another three years’ imprisonment for attempted murder.
The court ordered the sentences in counts one and three to run concurrently with the sentence in count two. The effective sentence is 23 years of direct imprisonment. Malinga was also declared unfit to possess a firearm.
Acting Director of Public Prosecutions, Sonja Ntuli, commended the collaborative effort between the investigating officer, Michael Smith and advocate Basil Marishane, in ensuring that justice prevailed and the perpetrators of the crimes were punished accordingly.
IOL