The family of 28-year-old Mlamuli Khoza, who fatally stabbed five of his family members, is unrepentant despite receiving a lengthy life sentence that equates to an effective 125-year direct imprisonment.
“We will never forgive him for the cruelty he meted out on his own blood. He deserved death because in prison he will be treated like a VIP, enjoying three meals a day.
“We had been gripped by fear since the incident, thinking he would come back and finish us off. His cruelty left children in a state of mental trauma. They lost their parents in the most brutal way.
“The children relied on him to protect the family as their uncle, but he inflicted unbearable pain on us all. For that, we will never forgive him.”
These were the chilling words of Sqiniseko Kubheka.
Kubheka was speaking to Sunday World on Tuesday in the aftermath of the conviction and sentencing of Khoza by the Pietermaritzburg High Court.
The gaunt-wrenching incident took place in the village of Bethany in Bergville on the KwaZulu-Natal far midlands on October 12.
The court heard how Khoza, before committing the atrocities, had been watching a football match at a tavern while drinking.
He then claimed that at some point he harboured feelings that somebody had spiked his drinks, and he became heavily intoxicated as a result.
He subsequently went home to sleep it off.
Overwhelmed by hate
The following day, her other relatives who had come for a visit were sitting with his mother in the family’s dining room.
He was suddenly overwhelmed by hate and untold evil spirits. In the spark of the moment, his mother appeared from the kitchen, bringing him food.
That was when Khoza became angry because he suspected that his mother was the cause of his misfortunes. He believed his mother had bewitched him.
In a fit of rage, Khoza hurriedly grabbed a knife and returned to the dining room, where he stabbed his relatives, including three adults and two children.
The deceased were Bheki Hadebe (62), his mother Sonto Hadebe (60), Thulisile Hadebe (37), Andile Khoza (8), and Esihle Khoza (2).
After committing the heinous crime, he fled the scene.
It eventually dawned on him that he had committed calamity, and he returned home, hoping to resuscitate the deceased, to no avail.
Police swooped on him on the same day, and he confessed to the gruesome murders.
Vivid memories of lifeless bodies
Another family member, Simphiwe Hadebe, explained that the wounds were still fresh.
“It is an ordeal that one cannot easily forget. It was like he was slaughtering animals. I still have vivid recollections of their lifeless bodies strewn on the floor,” said Hadebe.
“There was a lot of blood. I hope what he did haunts him for the rest of his life. He should not have an easy sleep while in prison.”
The National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson, Natasha Ramkisson-Kara, said the state had presented a compelling case.
“The witness impact statement pointed to how the remaining family members now live in endless agony and shock, and the image of their mother’s lifeless body is forever on their minds,” said Ramkisson-Kara.
“They live in fear and terror.”
