A 39-year-old police officer, Sizwe Cedric Khoza, has been given three life sentences by the Mpumalanga High Court in South Africa for the tragic murder of his wife and her siblings.
Last year, Khoza, who served at Masoyi police station, fatally shot his 35-year-old wife, Nomthandazo Mnisi, as well as her 32-year-old sister, Colisile Mnisi, and her 42-year-old brother, Dennis Mkhantshwa, in Hazyview on April 30, 2023.
The appalling act occurred during a family meeting aimed at resolving marital issues between Khoza and his wife, where he callously took the lives of the siblings.
Delivering the verdict on Tuesday, June 11, 2024, Judge Takalani Vincent Ratshibvumo not only sentenced Khoza to three life terms but also deemed him medically unfit to possess a firearm.
Judge Ratshibvumo underscored the severity of the sentence, stating it was intended to send a clear message to the community of Masoyi.
“I checked to see if there is any substantial and compelling reason that justifies deviation from the prescribed sentence of life imprisonment,” said Judge Ratshibvumo.
“The more I zoomed into these traditional mitigating factors, instead of me finding anything substantial and compelling to justify the imposition of anything less, unfortunately, I find even more aggravating factors.
“In fact, deviation from the prescribed sentences will send a wrong message to the community. The community of Masoye and people of Mpumalanga have to know that the courts are not going to tolerate gender-based violence
“The message has to go out to the streets of Mbombela that anyone who violates women will be dealt with by the courts mercilessly
“For the simple reason that you have one life, the legislature also provides that any sentence that is imposed together with life imprisonment shall run concurrently with life imprisonment. As a result, the sentences in count number 2 and 3 shall run concurrently with sentences in count 1,” said the Judge.
According to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) in Mpumalanga, Khoza had last week, pleaded guilty in the High Court in Mbombela to three counts of murder after he shot the two sisters who were working as nurses, and their brother Dennis Collen Mkhatshwa.
