‘Cold-blooded, callous, heinous’: Man, who stabbed girlfriend 19 times in front of child, locked up for life

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has described a Western Cape man’s violent conduct as “cold-blooded, callous and heinous” after he was slapped with a life sentence for stabbing his girlfriend to death 19 times in front of her young child.

The Clanwilliam Regional Court in the Western Cape recently sentenced Esethu Cawe to life imprisonment and declared him unfit to possess a firearm after he stabbed his girlfriend, Relebohile Ncephe, in front of her four-year-old child.

Protection order breached

The court convicted the 26-year-old of breaching a protection order that was issued on 26 July 2022, which prohibited him from assaulting, threatening, or verbally abusing Ncephe.

The protection order also prohibited Cawe from entering her Khayelitsha residence, taking her property without her consent, or damaging her property.

He was also convicted for murdering Ncephe in front of her daughter inside her home on 22 August 2022, four days after the protection order was extended.

Cawe was sentenced to four years of direct imprisonment for breach of the protection order and life imprisonment for murder. According to NPA regional spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila, the sentences will run concurrently.

ALSO READ: SA should change sentencing guidelines to ensure life means life

According to the state prosecutor, Mark Taylor, the couple lived together, but when domestic violence started, Ncephe moved to her sister’s house and obtained an interim protection order, which was served to Cawe.

“On the day of the incident, 22 August 2022, he repeatedly called her, after which she agreed to meet with him in the presence of her sister. Her four-year-old daughter also accompanied her,” Ntabazalila said.

After the former couple started talking, her sister left them alone to give them privacy.

Two knives broke

“During the discussion, the accused asked the deceased about her whereabouts the previous weekend, got angry when he did not get the answers he wanted, grabbed a knife, and stabbed her until the knife broke. He grabbed a bigger knife and stabbed her until that knife also broke.”

Cawe left the second knife in Ncephe’s body, and it was only taken out during a postmortem.

ALSO READ: Lauren Dickason sentencing: Here’s when killer mom will hear her fate

This horrific scene tragically happened in front of her daughter, who ran outside screaming.

During the court proceedings, Cawe admitted that the protection order against him was still in operation at the time he entered Ncephe’s sister’s residence and killed her.

‘Cold-blooded, callous, and heinous conduct’

“The convictions related to cold-blooded, callous, and heinous conduct on the part of the accused. It displayed an absolute flagrant disregard for the sanctity of human life and complete disrespect for the law and this court,” Ntabazalila said.

“His conduct involved a wanton disregard for the victim and a single-minded resolve on his part to commit the crimes. The conclusion is fortified by the fact that he set upon the deceased in a vicious, brutal, and unrelenting manner.”