Pretoria - The Mpumalanga High Court sitting in Delmas has sentenced a 27-year-old man, Phillimon Thembinkosi Maseki, to eighteen years in jail for strangling his lover Lindiwe Khumalo to death, the National Prosecuting Authority said on Thursday.
Maseki and Khumalo, 20, had a 2-year-old son together, NPA Mpumalanga spokeswoman Monica Nyuswa said
“Maseki pleaded guilty and was convicted of murder which happened at Khumalo’s place of residence in Leslie near Evander. On April 29, 2018, Khumalo went on a drinking spree and came back drunk. Maseki later joined Khumalo in her bedroom and an argument broke out,” said Nyuswa.
In his plea, Maseki told the court that on the day of the incident, Khumalo had accused him of cheating, and he got angry.
“As a result, Maseki strangled Khumalo to death. Maseki added that he slept the whole night with the deceased body. The following morning, Maseki asked the deceased’s mother to open for him as he wanted to go to work. Upon opening the door, Khumalo’s mother discovered her daughters’ lifeless body in her bedroom,” said Nyuswa.
In aggravation of sentence, senior state advocate Lawrence Motheogane handed in a post- mortem report which showed that there was pressure applied to Khumalo’s neck.
“Before Maseki was sentenced, Judge Mangke told the court that Maseki committed this offence and executed it in the most brutal, inhumane and cowardly manner. The victim suffered the most horrific death in the hands of her lover,” said Nyuswa.
“These crimes are increasing every day and nowadays we say behind every dead woman there is her lover involved. Maseki was sentenced to 18 years’ direct imprisonment and was declared unfit to possess a firearm.”
African News Agency (ANA)