The Mpumalanga Division of the High Court has sentenced Mikah Shalamuka Sithole (38) to life imprisonment for the murder of his girlfriend, Nicolene Morgan.

Sithole and Morgan were in a domestic relationship. Shalamuka was sentenced on Monday, December 15.

The spokesperson for Mpumalanga National Prosecuting Authority, Monica Nyuswa, said he was sentenced following the incident that occurred on December 21, 2024, when Morgan and her sister attended a party in Cork Trust in Bushbuckridge.

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“Sithole arrived and found them consuming alcohol. He asked Morgan to accompany him to her home, claiming he needed to fetch something. When she refused, an altercation ensued. Sithole then forcibly dragged her away and, while walking, he assaulted her before diverting from the route and heading towards his own residence,” she said

Nyuswa added that the following morning, December 22, Sithole attempted to drown Morgan in a nearby dam before taking her back to his house.

“Realising that she was still alive and vomiting profusely, he asked his brother-in-law to seek help so they could take her to hospital. While the brother-in-law was away, he strangled her to death and fled the scene. The police were notified and investigations led to his arrest a few days later,” explained Nyuswa.

Despite pleading not guilty, Sithole was convicted based on strong circumstantial evidence. State Advocate Fedile Tsotetsi led credible evidence from several witnesses who testified about the abuse the deceased was subjected to, including the pathologist who examined the body of the deceased.

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A postmortem report confirming the cause of death as consistent with suffocation due to external pressure on the neck was presented. The court accepted the State witnesses as credible and rejected the accused’s version.

In aggravation of sentence, Tsotetsi highlighted the prevalence of domestic violence and femicide in the country, stressing that the accused showed no remorse for his actions.

Victim impact statements, compiled by the deceased’s mother and the two siblings with the assistance of the court preparation officer, Nomfundo Mokoena, detailed the ongoing trauma and grief experienced because of the crime.

During sentencing, the court found no substantial or compelling circumstances to deviate from the prescribed minimum sentence of life imprisonment and sentenced the convicted to life imprisonment for murder. Sithole was declared unfit to possess a firearm.