Johannesburg – The man who murdered television actress Thandeka Emigrant Mdeliswa was sentenced to 25 years in jail by the Mpumalanga High Court sitting in Middelburg yesterday.
Siyabonga Mbatha (25) from KwaZulu Natal was found guilty of the murder of Mdeliswa, who played Khanya Hlophe in the television soapie, iKani.
Mbatha pleaded guilty to the offences and was subsequently convicted of murder, possession of unlicensed firearm and unlawful possession of ammunition.
Mpumalanga NPA spokesperson Monica Nyuswa said, in his plea statement, Mbatha told the court on 03 September 2020 that he and his friend Ndabandaba went to collect a cellular phone from the actress’s brother in Evander.
Upon arrival, an argument over money that was allegedly taken by the actress‘s brother ensued.
Mdeliswa heard the commotion and came out of her vehicle.
Mbatha took Ndabandaba’s firearm and shot Mdeliswa in the neck and fled the scene.
She was rushed to hospital but succumbed to the injuries two days later.
Mbatha was arrested a few days later together with his two co-accused, however, charges against them were withdrawn as they could not be linked to the crime.
Testifying in aggravation of sentence, the thespian’s mother described the traumatic consequences the murder of her daughter had on her life.
She said she had developed some diseases including ulcers due to stress caused by the tragic death of her daughter.
Nyuswa also said, addressing the court about gender-based violence in South Africa, senior state advocate, Bakedi Maoke said the court had the duty to impose sentences that would reflect the community’s anger towards these types of crimes.
She added that Mbatha robbed the actress‘ child of her right to have a mother.
The court sentenced Mbatha to twenty-five years for murder, fifteen years for possession of unlicensed firearm and three years imprisonment for unlawful possession of ammunition.
Nyuswa said NPA welcomed the successful prosecution and remained committed to ensuring that court cases are efficiently dealt with.
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