Madadeni court sentences man to life for murder
The deceased (23) was walking home from his girlfriend’s house when he was attacked with a bush knife.
The Madadeni Regional Court has sentenced Sinenhlanhla Dlamini (36) to life behind bars for the 2020 murder of a young man.
His co-accused, not named as he was a minor at the time of the murder, was sentenced to 15 years behind bars.
According to Natasha Ramkisson-Kara (NPA regional spokesperson – KwaZulu-Natal Division), the murder took place on November 3, 2020, when the deceased (23) was walking home from his girlfriend’s house.
“They attacked him with a bush knife. A witness saw the attack and shouted at the accused to stop,” said Ramkisson-Kara.
Witness evidence secures conviction
The witness allegedly recognised the two men because they were known to each other.
Ramkisson-Kara said the accused continued attacking the deceased until the witness approached the scene and again told them to stop.
“They then fled the scene.”
The witness called an ambulance. However, the deceased was pronounced dead on arrival at hospital.
The matter was reported to the police and the accused were later arrested.
During the trial, prosecutor Zama Zikalala led evidence from the eyewitness and another person who had been walking with the deceased before the incident.
“The postmortem report also supported the state’s case,” said Ramkisson-Kara.
In aggravation of sentence, Zikalala informed the court that Dlamini had six previous convictions for assault, robbery, theft and assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm.
Dlamini committed this offence while on parole, prompting the court to sentence him to life imprisonment.
“His co-accused received 15 years’ imprisonment because he was a minor when the offence was committed, and the minimum sentence of life imprisonment did not apply to him.”
Both accused were also declared unfit to possess a firearm.
Ramkisson-Kara said the NPA welcomed the conviction and sentences.
“The right to life is a fundamental human right enshrined in the Constitution. We hope this outcome sends a clear message that violent crime will not be tolerated,” she concluded.
The news provided to you in this link has been investigated and compiled by the editorial staff of the Newcastle Advertiser, a sold newspaper distributed in the Newcastle area. Please follow us on Youtube and feel free to like, comment, and subscribe. For more local news, visit our webpage, follow us on Facebook and Twitter, and follow us on our WhatsApp Channel
