18 year sentence for murder

A 22-year-old convicted murderer was handed a stiff sentence in the KwaDukuza regional court on August 14 for his brutal attack on two elderly women. Sipho Mthethwa who was found guilty of murder and attempted murder after a long trial, was sentenced to 18 years in jail.

Mthethwa, represented by attorney Yugitha Naicker, killed a 76-year-old woman and tried to murder her 80-year-old sister, at Bulwer Farm on March 13, 2013. The women were sitting in front of their RDP house doing beadwork around 2pm when Mthethwa attacked them, accusing them of gossiping about him.

Mthethwa stabbed the 76-year-old repeatedly on her chest, shoulder, arms and back.

Her sister tried to intervene and was stabbed in the arm.

The 80-year-old woman died while her sister was screaming for help.

The court heard the testimony of the mother of a nine-year-old boy, who had witnessed the incident with her son.

The woman testified that Mthethwa “casually” walked off with his dagger dripping with blood and flung it into a nearby bush.

Mthethwa was found hiding at his aunt’s house and arrested. He pleaded not guilty on both counts, but his alibi was found to be false thanks to evidence from investigating officers, warrant officers Khambula and Dlamini.