Masoyi serial killer’s sentencing postponed
Mndawe is accused of murdering and burying Banele Khoza (15), Noxolo Mdluli (17), Tokie Tlaka (24), Nomthandazo Mdluli (19) and Felicia Ndlovu (17) between 2018 and 2019 in Numbi Village in Hazyview.
Julius Thabiso Mndawe (26) of Numbi Trust has been found guilty of five counts of premeditated murder and five counts of defeating the ends of justice.
He appeared in the Mpumalanga High Court for this judgement on Friday February 4.
This follows his plea of guilt on Tuesday February 1, which the state did not accept. In his plea, Mndawe told the court that the incidents had happened on the spur of the moment. The state did not agree with his statement.
After Mndawe’s plea, the investigating officer in the case, Joseph Mnisi, gave evidence in a statement and testified about what he had observed at the crime scene when the police had exhumed the victims’ remains.
On the day of the judgement, acting judge Denise Greyling Coetzer said the murders were premeditated.
“The five murders show consistent cause of conduct. I am satisfied that the only reasonable conclusion to be drawn from the totality of the evidence and the facts, is that the accused premeditated these murders.”
Mndawe is accused of murdering and burying Banele Khoza (15), Noxolo Mdluli (17), Tokie Tlaka (24), Nomthandazo Mdluli (19) and Felicia Ndlovu (17) between 2018 and 2019 in Numbi Village in Hazyview.
On Monday February 7, when Mndawe was in court for sentencing, the matter had to be adjourned when the state advocate was reading the victim impact statements. The families’ emotions overpowered them and they could be heard crying in court. The case was later resumed, but ended up being postponed to Thursday February 10.
Thembisile Mdluli, a family member of Nomthandazo’s, said even if the outcome of the judgement will not bring their loved ones back, they are glad to hear Mndawe was finally found guilty. According to her, they have been waiting for three years to receive the bodies.
“Now that the judgement is out, we would like to finally be given the remains of our loved ones. We hear that justice will be served and I will feel much better to lay Nomthandazo’s remains to rest. We have not received them since they were exhumed.”
Moses Ndlovu, a family member of Felicia’s, said, “We had hoped that today was the last day of the case. We have to go to work, however, we have been coming here for something that does not end. We come to court, then they say it will end, just like today when they had said it was the last day. We want the remains that we have been waiting for, because we want to bury them.”
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Ndlovu said he would be glad to see Mndawe getting a life sentence. “Whether he apologises or not, even if he says it was a mistake, he killed five people then he says it is a mistake. They are now dead and they wanted to live.
I want to those who are considering doing what he did to know that if you kill people you get a life sentence.”
During the court proceedings, Mndawe was asked if he wished to say anything or apologise to the families. He exercised his right to remain silent through his legal representative.
Nkululeko Mongwane, Nomthandazo’s family member, said when Mndawe refused to apologise, it showed her that he was not remorseful. “Even if we were not going to forgive him, apologising would have shown that he is sorry.”
The Mpumalanga NPA’s spokesperson, Monica Nyuswa, said the matter was postponed to Thursday February 10 for sentencing.
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