The Pretoria High Court in Benoni sentenced a 26-year-old Duduza man to 15 years in prison for the murder of his girlfriend. On Monday, Lundokuhle Innocent Radebe of Duduza near Nigel appeared in court and was given a judgment.
Radebe was sentenced to 15 years in direct jail for murder and five years for undermining the administration of justice. The court ordered that the terms be served consecutively and that he be ruled unfit to possess a firearm.
The Duduza man, Radebe murdered his 20-year-old lover, Thandeka Tshabalala, in 2021. Lumka Mahanjana, NPA spokeswoman, stated that they are satisfied with Radebe’s sentencing.
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“Radebe strangled Thandeka. Thereafter, he called the police, and when they arrived, he told them the deceased had committed suicide, and that he found her neck tied with a cord.
“After the pathologist examined the body of the deceased, it was discovered that she had been strangled. Radebe was then arrested on 1 December 2021 at his place of residence,” Mahanjana said.
Radebe, through his legal representative, requested that the court divert from the stipulated minimum sentence and impose a 10-year sentence because he had no previous convictions and was responsible for his 16-year-old sibling.
However, state prosecutor lawyer Vusumzi Tshabalala told the court that this act was committed with extreme brutality, resulting in shattered bones around the deceased’s neck.
Tshabalala informed the court that this was a typical case of femicide, which deprived the dead of her life because she was just 20 years old when she was murdered.
“As such, the killing of the deceased has caused trauma to her mother and siblings,” said Tshabalala.
In imposing the sentence, Judge Carla Van Veenendaal stated that gender-based violence (GBV) is a major pandemic in South Africa and that men must learn to respect women.
Van Veenendaal further stated that Radebe showed no remorse, hence there were no substantial or compelling reasons to depart from the statutory minimum punishment.
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