The family of multi-award-winning SABC journalist Lillian Hlabangwane can breathe a sigh of relief after her mother’s killers were sent to jail for a very long time.

Mpumalanga News reports that, on Wednesday, the Nelspruit Regional Court sentenced Elina Magagula (71) and her son, Pleasure Ngobeni (35), to 20 years and life imprisonment, respectively.

Taking Magagula’s advanced age into account, the court opted not to impose a life sentence.

The court convicted the two of the gruesome murder of Lillian’s mother, Mfukwa Vhamia Hlabangwane (72), on December 23, 2009.

Mfukwa would have celebrated her 88th birthday today.

Mfukwa was killed when she went to the homestead of Solly Zitha to retrieve cattle that he had stolen from her.

The court heard that Zitha was in the process of herding the cattle out of his kraal at Masingitana Trust near Acornhoek when Mfukwa confronted him.

Surrounding communities such as Ka-Sigagula, Cottondale, Songeni, Buffelshoek, Edinburg, Masingitana, Thulamahashe, Hluvukani, Islington and White City, among others, feared Zitha as he was notorious for stealing cattle and attacking the owners.

He had been sentenced to several years’ imprisonment on charges of stock theft on multiple occasions, so it did not come as a surprise when he stole Mfukwa’s cattle.

Zitha and his aunt, Magagula, along with Ngobeni, started attacking Mfukwa when she demanded her cattle be returned.

She fell to the ground and Zitha hacked at her with a hand hoe while the others kicked her and used other instruments to assault her.

Mfukwa died at the scene.

The following day, the police arrested Zitha, Magagula and Ngobeni on charges of murder, with Zitha being additionally charged with stock theft.

They appeared in the Mhala Magistrate’s Court on several occasions.

The wheels of justice moved slowly, with the matter being postponed endlessly, prompting the Hlabangwane family to approach the Hawks for intervention.

“The matter was being investigated by local police and the deceased’s family was not satisfied with the progress. It was then transferred to the Nelspruit Hawks to investigate further,” said Mpumalanga Hawks warrant officer Thandi Tshabalala.

Lillian, a talented news anchor at SABC’s Munghana Lonene FM in Polokwane, told Mpumalanga News that the family finally found closure in a matter that had been a wound for 16 years.

“Today is neither a good nor a bad day, but a new day for the family. We can finally move on, thanks to Jesus. People should not commit heinous crimes and get away with it. Justice has been served and our mother can be peaceful in her grave,” said Lilian.

On August 15, 2024, Zitha was stoned to death by an angry mob after he tried to oust the appointed contractor and take over a construction project.

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