The Madadeni Regional Court has sentenced Kwazikwenkosi Aider Sibiya (37) to life imprisonment for the murder of a 22-year-old woman in Madadeni in 2025.

According to Natasha Ramkisson-Kara, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) regional spokesperson for the KwaZulu-Natal division, the accused and the deceased were known to each other.

On the evening of January 29, 2025, Sibiya allegedly took a knife and went to the 22-year-old’s homestead demanding the return of his cellphone.

“Sibiya alleged that the woman and her boyfriend had stolen his cellphone when they visited him the day before,” said Ramkisson-Kara.

As the woman was not at home at the time, Sibiya spoke to her mother instead. The mother advised him to report the matter to the police, but he allegedly refused. Before leaving the homestead, Sibiya threatened the mother, telling her that she would soon be mourning her daughter.

Argument turns deadly

The following day, Sibiya returned to the homestead, again armed with a knife.

“Even though his phone was returned to him, he initially refused to take it. He eventually took the phone and engaged the 22-year-old in a conversation a short distance away from the house,” Ramkisson-Kara said.

At some point, he began attacking the woman, fatally stabbing her and assaulting her with a bottle.

The incident was witnessed by members of the deceased’s family; Sibiya threatened to kill relatives who attempted to intervene. He then fled the scene and the matter was reported to the police.

Sibiya handed himself over to police a few days later.

The sentencing

In court, prosecutor Marion Willis-Smith led testimony from the deceased’s family members who witnessed the attack. They told the court they remain traumatised after seeing the brutal incident.

The postmortem report detailing the injuries sustained by the deceased also formed part of the state’s case.

Sibiya was sentenced to life imprisonment for murder and was declared unfit to possess a firearm.

“The National Prosecuting Authority welcomes the sentence and remains committed to pursuing justice on behalf of the victims of crime and their families,” Ramkisson-Kara concluded.