Africa-Press – South-Africa. The Mpumalanga High Court sentenced a 21-year-old man to four terms of life imprisonment plus 18 years on Wednesday.
Nhlanhla Mlotshwa pleaded guilty to two counts of rape and three counts of murder, which were committed in Driefontein in the Mkhondo district.
National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Monica Nyuswa said the court heard that on 24 April 2021 Mlotshwa and one of his victims – 37-year-old Sibongile Msibi – attended a wedding ceremony hosted by Msibi’s family.
“During the late hours, [Msibi] accompanied her friend home, and, on her way back, she was approached by Mlotshwa, who dragged her to a veld. He raped and stabbed her in the neck with a knife several times until she died,” Nyuswa said.
She said Msibi’s bloodstained jacket was found near the veld the following day, while her body was discovered several metres away.
On 18 July 2021, Mlotshwa broke into a home and raped and killed a 17-year-old girl.
Nyuswa said:
The State called relatives of the victims to testify during sentencing proceedings.
“Msibi’s mother testified that the victim left behind an underage child, who always cried and asked for her mother,” Nyuswa said.
“The mother of the 17-year-old victim told the court that she had lost her only child, her friend.”
The 18-year prison sentence will run concurrently with the four life sentences.
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