The man invited his girlfriend to spend Valentine's Day with him, but she refused.
The court case is the latest development in a conflict marked by allegations of violence, intimidation and disputes over residency rights. Picture: iStock
A KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) man has been sentenced to 30 years in prison after confessing to the brutal Valentine’s week murder of his 17‑year‑old girlfriend, whose body he hid in nearby bushes following a violent assault.
Asanda Fakude appeared in the Vryheid Regional Court on Tuesday, 22 July 2026, where the sentence was handed down.
Valentines murder
Fakude was accused of murdering his teenage girlfriend at Gegund farm within the Vryheid policing precinct on 16 February 2026.
Police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Paul Magwaza said Fakude had invited his girlfriend to spend Valentine’s Day with him; however, she did not honour the invitation.
“On Monday, 16 February 2026, driven by anger over her failure to meet him, the accused confronted the victim.
“The confrontation escalated into a violent assault during which he repeatedly assaulted her until she succumbed to her injuries. He then concealed her lifeless body in the nearby bushes,” Magwaza said.
Arrest
On Wednesday, 18 February 2026, Fakude contacted the Paulpietersburg Saps Detectives Commander and confessed to the crime.
“He was immediately arrested and later conducted a formal pointing-out leading the police to the location where he had hidden the deceased’s body,” Magwaza said.
Fakude was subsequently charged with murder and appeared before court, where he pleaded guilty to killing his girlfriend.
“The Vryheid Regional Court found him guilty and sentenced him to 30 years direct imprisonment,” said Magwaza.
Mine shooting
Meanwhile, two men have been killed in a violent clash at a Limpopo mine, prompting police to launch a manhunt for the armed suspects after one of the victims, a Gauteng officer, was gunned down on site.
Police in Driekop have registered two cases of murder following the heated altercation at the mine in Ga-Mahlokwane village next to Khubetshane on Tuesday.
The Acting Provincial Commissioner of Limpopo, Major General Jan Scheepers, directed the police to use all resources at their disposal to apprehend the suspects involved in the fatal shooting.
