MBOMBELA- The High Court of South Africa, Mpumalanga Division sentenced Mikah Shalamuka Willy Sithole (38) to life imprisonment for the murder of his girlfriend, Nicolene Morgan.
This is following an incident on December 21, 2024 when Morgan and her sister attended a party at Cork Trust, Bushbuckridge and Sithole arrived and found them consuming alcohol. He asked Morgan to accompany him to her home, claiming he needed to fetch something. When she refused, an altercation ensued. Sithole then forcibly dragged her away and, while walking, he assaulted her before diverting from the route and headed toward his own residence.
The following morning, Sithole drowned Morgan in a nearby dam before taking her back to his house. Realising that she was still alive and vomiting profusely, he asked his brother-in-law to seek help so they could take her to the hospital. While the brother-in-law was away, he strangled her to death and fled the scene. The police were notified, and investigations led to his arrest a few days later.
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Despite pleading not guilty, Sithole was convicted based on strong circumstantial evidence. State Advocate Fedile Tsotetsi led credible evidence from several witnesses who testified about the abuse the deceased was subjected to, including the pathologist who examined the body of the deceased. A postmortem report confirming the cause of death as consistent with asphyxia due to external pressure on the neck was presented. The court accepted state witnesses as credible and rejected the accused’s version.
In aggravation of sentence, Advocate Tsotetsi highlighted the prevalence of domestic violence and femicide in the country, stressing that the accused showed no remorse for his actions. Victim impact statements, compiled by the deceased’s mother and the two siblings with the assistance of the Court Preparation Officer Nomfundo Mokoena, detailed the ongoing trauma and grief experienced because of the crime.
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During sentencing, the court found no substantial or compelling circumstances to deviate from the prescribed minimum sentence of life imprisonment and sentenced the accused to life imprisonment for murder. Sithole was declared unfit to possess a firearm.
