Durban — A 37-year-old man who stabbed his wife 13 times has been sentenced to life imprisonment in the Durban High Court.
Sibusiso Bongekhaya Mvubu left his wife, Philiiwe Mvubu, in a pool of blood after he stabbed her repeatedly, and then locked her inside their home in KwaMakhutha.
Handing down sentence, Judge Poyo Dlwati said the accused had been convicted of the very serious offence of murder, adding that he had planned to kill his wife.
She said Philisiwe had been killed in a brutal and callous manner by the person who professed to love her.
Dlwati said murder was a very serious offence that was prevalent in our country.
“It is the ultimate crime that deprives an individual of their constitutionally guaranteed right to life. The nature and circumstances (of the commission of the crime) are a negation of many fundamental rights, such as the rights to equality, human dignity, and bodily integrity. The situation has got worse over the years,” said Dlwati.
She said society demanded that stern sentences be meted out to perpetrators of gender-based violence, which had been described as another pandemic engulfing our country.
Dlwati said the sentences courts imposed had to have a deterrent effect on would-be offenders. She said courts were part, and had to be seen to be part, of the fight against gender-based violence, and this could only be seen if the courts were meting out the prescribed sentences.
“The accused's personal circumstances are far outweighed by the seriousness of the offence and the interests of society. The accused is sentenced to life imprisonment,” she said.
Daily News