The Joburg Magistrate’s Court recently sentenced Malvern murder accused Mandla Simelane (42) to an effective 15 years in jail for the 2015 killing of his friend.
The court imposed an additional three-year sentence on a charge of assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm after he was found guilty of stabbing a second man on the scene.
The court, on May 15, heard that both sentences are to run concurrently, while Simelane was also declared unfit to possess a firearm.
Cleveland SAPS spokesperson Capt Johan Jordaan said the incident occurred after a heated argument between Simelane and the two men.
“The argument escalated and the accused stabbed Phumlani Nhlabathi (25) to death. Simelane attacked a second unknown man, who survived the brutal knife stabbing.
“The case was booked out for further investigation and after an intensive investigation, Simelane was arrested and charged.
“He was found guilty of murder, an outcome which the station management at Cleveland SAPS highly commends,” said Jordaan.
