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The man was sentenced to an additional eight years for escaping from custody.
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While a court ruling will not bring their loved ones back, two KwaZulu-Natal families can rest assured that the man who murdered them will be behind bars for a long time.
Baphumelele Zulu, the man who brutally killed Grade 12 pupils Amanda Zulu and Minenhle Buthelezi in July 2022, has been handed two life sentences for their deaths by the Ixopo Regional Court.
The court also sentenced Zulu to a further eight years’ imprisonment for escaping from custody.
Zulu attacks two pupils
At the time of their murder, Amanda and Minenhle had been renting a house within a homestead in the Ngwagwane area to stay closer to their school.
Zulu attacked the two pupils at the house on 30 July, leaving one dead and the other fighting for her life.
“Following the incident, Amanda Zulu was found bleeding outside the house, and since she was still alive, she was taken to the hospital, where she succumbed to her injuries,’ National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) regional spokesperson Natasha Ramkisson-Kara said in a statement.
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“Buthelezi’s body was found further away in a ditch in a field,” she added.
Both victims had been brutally assaulted on their heads with an unknown object.
Zulu arrested twice
The 24-year-old man was arrested after a family member handed him over to the police.
During the trial, prosecutor Siphosenkosi Dlamini led the evidence of the people who lived at the homestead where the pupils were renting, as well as the DNA chain of evidence.
Two police officials who accompanied Zulu when he escaped custody during a pointing out at the location of the crime scene also testified.
Zulu was rearrested a few hours after his escape.
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Families left grieving
Natasha Ramkisson-Kara said in aggravation of sentence, Dlamini led the testimonies of the deceased’s family members, who told the court how the incident had affected their lives.
“Amanda’s father told the court that their entire family had been negatively impacted by the incident. Minenhle’s aunt told the court that Minenhle’s grandmother, who was [the pupil’s] primary caregiver, was deeply saddened by the incident and has since fallen ill.”
She said both families expressed their confusion about the motive behind the killings.
They said Zulu was not remorseful and had killed defenceless women.
Lives ‘snuffed out’
“This sentence underscores the seriousness with which the justice system views crimes of this nature,” Ramkisson-Kara said.
“The accused in this matter snuffed out the lives of two young women. The NPA remains resolute in our pursuit of justice on behalf of the victims of crime.”
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