Durban — A KwaZulu-Natal magistrate’s court recently sentenced a relative who beat an elderly woman to death on the South Coast.
According to the Ugu Cluster’s Captain Petros Mpinge, a murder suspect was sentenced to life imprisonment for an assault on an elderly woman.
Mpinge said that on October 18, 2020, Phyllis Lillian Mzindle, 68, was severely assaulted and found on the road in KwaMadlala, Umzumbe, where she was left to die.
“She was taken to Port Shepstone Hospital with severe head injuries which caused her to remain in a coma for a month until she passed away,” Mpinge said.
He said that a case of assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm was initially opened at SAPS Southport for investigation but was later changed to a murder case.
“A suspect, who was from the same area and a distant relative, was identified and traced by Southport Detective Services and arrested at his place of employment in Port Shepstone shortly after the assault occurred, by Sergeant Sibongiseni Xaba,” Mpinge explained.
He said the investigating officer, warrant officer Chris du Plessis, strongly opposed bail, and the accused remained in police custody throughout his trial. The intense and thorough investigation included several trips to three different hospitals in different areas to obtain statements from doctors who treated the victim. Moreover, the lead witness was a minor who had been traumatised by the violent assault.
“However, the accused, Cyprian Mzindle, 48, was finally sentenced in the Port Shepstone Magistrate’s Court on August 29, 2022, to life imprisonment. He was also declared unfit to possess a firearm,” Mpinge said.
Ugu District Detective Commander Brigadier Bongani Sibiya welcomed the good conviction as a result of the comprehensive investigation by the detectives.
Sibiya said the sentence sends out a strong message to perpetrators found guilty of gender-based violence that the penalty will be severe.
Daily News