BREYTEN – The Mpumalanga Division of the High Court on Wednesday sentenced a 35-year-old man to life imprisonment for the brutal murder of his girlfriend.

The crime, fuelled by accusations of cheating, unfolded in the presence of their two minor children, aged three and six.

The man who resided with his girlfriend and their children in eMvelo (previously Amsterdam), pleaded guilty to the offence and was subsequently convicted of premeditated murder.

The incident occurred on June 6, 2024.

The court heard that they were at home when his girlfriend received a phone call from an unknown person. Following the call, he questioned her about the caller.

Unsatisfied with her response and suspecting an affair, an altercation ensued, which quickly turned physical.

He then fatally stabbed her in the neck with a knife.

The victim died instantly, and the accused was arrested two days after the incident.

“In aggravation of the sentence, state Advocate Kedibone Mthimkhulu argued that the accused’s plea was a mitigating factor, emphasising the brutality of slitting the throat of the deceased as inhumane,” said Monica Nyuswa, National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) provincial spokesperson.

The court was presented with a post-mortem report confirming the woman died from an anterior neck wound and a photo album depicting the grim crime scene.

Mthimkhulu further presented a Victim Impact Statement compiled by the deceased’s daughter describing the financial, psychological, and emotional trauma she has suffered since the death of her mother.