15 years jail time for murder
Thanks to the tireless efforts and commitment of Detective Frank Mathebula, of the Tonga Police Station, Sunnyboy Mnisi (32) of KaMhlushwa is facing 15 years' in prison for the brutal murder and rape of his daughter.
TONGA – Thanks to the tireless efforts and commitment of Detective Frank Mathebula, of the Tonga Police Station, Sunnyboy Mnisi (32) of KaMhlushwa is facing 15 years’ in prison for the brutal murder and rape of his daughter.
On May 14, Mnisi was found guilty in the Nelspruit High Court on two counts of rape and one of murder. He was arrested on August 17, 2012, with the assistance of his brother, Mr Clement Mnisi, a day after committing the crime and fleeing.
“On August 16, 2012, Mnisi decided to visit his mother, Ms Joyce Mnisi, and his daughter, Ayanda Khoza, in Boschfontein. They were all so happy to see him and his mother dished up food for him.
After he had eaten he took his six-year-old daughter with him. When Joyce asked where he was going with Ayanda, he responded that he was taking her for a walk, and would be back in no time. When the sun set, Joyce begun to worry when she realised that he was not coming back with Ayanda. She tried to call him, to no avail,” explained Tonga communications officer, Const Nomsa Lephoko.
It is alleged that the matter was also reported to the Schoemansdal SAPS, prior to Khoza receiving a call from Mnisi to inform her of Ayanda’s whereabouts.
“At midnight Joyce received a phone call from Mnisi who told her that he had killed Ayanda and her body was at his residence in KaMhlushwa. Joyce who was paralysed with fear, called her daughter, Noma Mnisi in Kamhlushwa, and asked her to go and check if it was true. Noma rushed there and found Ayanda lying naked, face up, and her lower body covered with her school skirt.
At that point Mnisi was nowhere to be found, and Noma summoned the police,” Lephoko explained.
In court, the defence advocate Mr Nico du Plessis said Mnisi had confessed, saying that on the night in question, his daughter had had an epileptic fit, during which he throttled her and threw her against the wall in his room. When he realised she was dead, he phoned his mother to tell her what he had done.
Tonga Police Station commander, Col Velisisiwe Mdaka, praised Mathebula, saying such commitment to fighting crime and attaining justice should never go unnoticed.
She said, “When our officers perform in such a manner, they make us all proud to be members of the South African Police Services, and such achievements cannot go unnoticed. They also show that we do indeed have dedicated officers who are committed to the fight against crime.”
