Father sentenced to life imprisonment for son’s murder
In an emotional statement, the mother of the eight year old boy said she was shattered that her son's life was cut short.
THIRTY-YEAR-OLD Siyabonga Shezi was recently sentenced by the Pinetown Regional Court to life imprisonment for the murder of his eight-year-old son in January 2023 in the Shongweni area.
According to NPA regional spokesperson, Natasha Ramkisson-Kara, Shezi fetched the child from his ex-girlfriend’s house to take him to his homestead so they could spend time together.
Instead of taking him to the homestead, Shezi took the child to a nearby river where he strangled him using the drawstring of the child’s pants.
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“Shezi then called his ex-girlfriend’s sister and told her that he had killed a child, and the location of his body. Shezi was arrested after the matter was reported to the police.”
In court, Prosecutor Rowan Souls led the testimony of the child’s mother. Thereafter, the defence made admissions to the court. The State then presented the evidence of the pathologist, who confirmed the cause of death to be ligature strangulation and blunt head trauma.
In aggravation of the sentence, Souls handed in a Victim Impact Statement compiled by the child’s mother and facilitated by Court Preparation Officer Nomonde Zokwana.
In her statement, the woman said that the death of her child has emotionally damaged her. She said, “He was a child who was full of energy and love, and he loved his schoolwork. He had told me that he wanted to become a lawyer when he grew up. He would work hard and improve our lives. But his father has shattered his dreams.”
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Shezi was sentenced to life imprisonment, and he was declared unfit to possess a firearm.
Ramkisson-Kara said the NPA remains steadfast in their commitment to uphold the rule of law and pursue justice without fear or favour.
“We will safeguard the rights and dignity of all members of society, especially children and other vulnerable groups. We hope this outcome brings some comfort and closure to the family of the victim.”
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