A 39-year-old Osizweni man has been jailed for life after he stabbed his partner to death, whom he accused of infidelity and using ‘love potions’.

The Madadeni High Court heard that the man had told a friend, the day before the murder in April 2024, that his girlfriend had cheated on him and that she had used a love potion on him.

Natasha Ramkisson-Kara, NPA regional spokesperson for the KZN division, said the following day he returned to his friend’s house and admitted that he had murdered his girlfriend, claiming it was because of her alleged infidelity and the use of potions. He then showed his friend the knife he used to commit the murder.

After this, the accused and his friend went to his employer’s homestead, where he admitted to his employer what he had done. He then took both his friend and employer back to where he had been living and showed them the body of the deceased.

Ramkisson-Kara said the employer advised the accused to hand himself over to the police, but he fled the area and was later arrested in the North West province.

In court, prosecutor Zama Zikalala presented evidence from the accused’s employer and friend. A postmortem report further strengthened the state’s case.

During sentencing proceedings, the state presented the testimony of the deceased’s mother in aggravation. She told the court her daughter was a breadwinner who supported her two children.

She said the children were struggling to come to terms with their mother’s death, and the family remained traumatised by the incident.

The accused was sentenced accordingly and declared unfit to possess a firearm.

The NPA welcomed the successful finalisation of the matter.

“Curbing the scourge of gender-based violence and femicide is an organisational priority and, as South Africa observes the 16 Days of Activism campaign, we remain resolute in our fight for justice on behalf of victims of crime and their families,” she said.

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