The Mpumalanga Division of the High Court on Wednesday sentenced a 35-year-old man to life imprisonment for the brutal murder of his girlfriend.

According to Highvelder, the crime, fuelled by accusations of cheating, unfolded in the presence of their two minor children, aged three and six.

The man, who lived with his girlfriend and their children in eMvelo (previously Amsterdam), pleaded guilty and was convicted of premeditated murder.

The incident occurred on June 6, 2024.

The court heard that they were at home when the girlfriend received a phone call from an unknown person. After the call, he questioned her about the caller.

Unsatisfied with her response and suspecting an affair, an argument broke out and escalated into violence.

He then fatally stabbed her in the neck with a knife.

The victim died instantly, and the accused was arrested two days later.

“In aggravation of the sentence, state Adv Kedibone Mthimkhulu argued that the accused’s plea was a mitigating factor, emphasising the brutality of slitting the throat of the deceased as inhumane,” says NPA provincial spokesperson Monica Nyuswa.

The court was presented with a post-mortem report confirming the woman died from an anterior neck wound and a photo album showing the grim crime scene.

Mthimkhulu also submitted a victim impact statement compiled by the deceased’s daughter describing the financial, psychological and emotional trauma she has suffered since her mother’s death.

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