By A Correspondent -A 32-year-old Zimbabwean man has been given a 6 life jail sentence for killing his girlfriend (42) and her five children.
The sad incident happened in South Africa at the beginning of the 16 Days of Activism against violence on women and children last year.
Nowa Makula of Elliotdale hacked his girlfriend Nomzamo Mhlanti and five children with an axe while they were sleeping in their shack on November 24 last year in the Eastern Cape.
It is reported that three of the victims were his biological children, among them a six-month-old toddler.
Makula was on Monday slapped with six life sentences by an Elliotdale regional court on Monday.
The motive behind the murder remains a mystery and the bodies of the six victims were discovered by the woman’s 16-year-old son who made a report to the police.
A blood-stained axe was recovered by the police at the murder scene.
The man was arrested in Ginsberg, near King William’s Town, two days after committing the crime.
During his trial, at the Elliotdale regional court the South African police would have a torrid time dispersing angry mobs which threatened to attack Makula.
In a statement yesterday, South Africa’s Commission for Gender Equality (CGE) said the killings took place during the commemoration of the 16 days of activism against violence on women and children, last year.
“The Commission has been monitoring the case and we are satisfied with the speed in which the verdict was delivered,” said the Commission.
“We are aware that cases of GBV take long to be completed in the courts, with many others not getting a conviction. The CGE trusts that this sentence will serve as a benchmark in speedily addressing GBV cases.”
The Commission also appealed to members of the public, and those in the private sector to take a stand against perpetrators of gender-based violence.
“We will continue as the Gender Commission through our outreach and legal programs to educate and raise awareness,” it said.
According to the statement, members of the public with information about acts of gender-based violence and abuse should contact the GCE on the Toll-Free Number 0027800 007 709 or contact the commission’s nearest offices.
Early this year the ZRP arrested a Chitungwiza man in connection with a murder case committed in Johannesburg, South Africa on January 19 in 2019.
The accused had allegedly murdered his girlfriend in South Africa before skipping the border to Zimbabwe.
-State media