25 years’ direct imprisonment for femicide
Lungani Lloyd Hill was found guilty of killing his girlfriend
The Ladysmith Regional Court sentenced Lungani Lloyd Hill (46) to an effective 25 years’ imprisonment for killing his girlfriend.
The murder was committed in Bergville in November 2018. He was also convicted of theft. Hill, a taxi driver from Umlazi, was involved in a volatile relationship with Thenjiwe Maphalala (39), who worked as a security guard at Emmaus Hospital.
On the day of the murder, Hill drove from Durban to Bergville in search of her. After going to the hospital early that morning and not finding Maphalala there, he headed in the direction of her home.
Maphalala was later found with deep stab wounds to her body. A neighbour rushed her to hospital, where she was declared dead at around 6:00.
“While the state did not have any eyewitnesses, Acting Regional Court Prosecutor Sathsha Budram led circumstantial evidence to prove Hill’s guilt to the court. Firstly, Maphalala had phoned her mother, telling her that Hill was in the area and that he had threatened to kill her. She told her mother that should she die, her mother must know that it was ‘Lungani’ who did it. The mother made a statement to this effect to the police, and this statement was used in court,” commented National Prosecuting Authority regional spokesperson Natasha Ramkisson-Kara.
Budram called an expert witness to testify about the cellphone records of Hill, Maphalala and her mother. The state was able to show that Maphalala’s cellphone had moved from Bergville to Umlazi (hence the charge of theft) on the day of the murder.
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Budram’s argument also relied on photographs of Hill’s motor vehicle that were taken at the Mooi River Toll Plaza en-route to Bergville on the morning that Maphalala was killed.
“The state further led evidence from one of Maphalala’s co-workers, who testified that Hill had come to the hospital at 05:00 on the morning of the murder, looking for her. The co-worker told the court that when Hill discovered that Maphalala was not there, he drove off in the direction of her home,” said Ramkisson-Kara.
While the state had asked for life imprisonment for murder, the court sentenced Hill to 20 years behind bars, citing his lack of previous convictions, his age and the possibility of him being rehabilitated as reasons for the deviation.
He was sentenced to five years for theft. The court ordered that the sentences run consecutively, and an order was made declaring him unfit to possess a firearm.
“The National Prosecuting Authority welcomes the successful finalisation of this matter, as it affirms our commitment to curbing the scourge of gender-based violence. We commend the hard work done by the prosecution and SAPS in securing this conviction,” concluded Ramkisson-Kara.
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