South African man sentenced to life imprisonment for stabbing his girlfriend to death after accusing her of cheating

Thursday, September 5, 2024 - The Mpumalanga Division of the High Court in South Africa on Tuesday sentenced a 51-year-old man, Josaya Ndlozi, to life imprisonment for the m8rder of his girlfriend, Sophie Phumzile Malele, after accusing her of cheating.

The accused was automatically declared unfit to possess a firearm in terms of Section 103 of the Firearms Control Act 60 of 2000.

The court heard that the accused and the deceased were cohabiting in Lydenburg and had three children together.

Before the incident, Malele had applied for an interim protection order against Ndlozi and one of the conditions was for the accused not to assault, threaten, or harass the deceased as their relationship was volatile.

On the morning of 08 February 2023, the children were at school and an argument between the accused and the deceased ensued.

It escalated and led the accused to stab Malele with a knife in her upper body and she fell.

After realising that Malele was not moving, he informed one of his neighbours and the police.

Malele was declared dead on the scene and the accused was arrested. Malele's cause of death was multiple sharp force injuries to the neck.

In court, Ndlozi pleaded guilty to the crime and was subsequently convicted of premeditated murder.

State Advocate Senzo Zindela asked the court to impose a suitable sentence.

He stated that the accused pleaded guilty due to overwhelming evidence the state had against him which is not a sign of remorse.

Before handing down the sentence, Acting Judge Manthata said the accused deprived the deceased of the constitutional right to life. As a result, three minor children were left without a mother.

He stated that gender-based violence and femicide continue to be a pandemic that is ravaging our communities. He found no reasons justifying deviation from the prescribed minimum sentence of life imprisonment.

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) expressed satisfaction with the sentence, emphasizing its unwavering commitment to prosecuting cases related to Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and femicide.

NPA stated that this case serves as a stark reminder of the need to protect vulnerable individuals in society and hold perpetrators accountable for their actions.