A 36-year-old man has been sentenced to life imprisonment by the KwaZulu-Natal High Court sitting in Mtunzini after being convicted of murder, attempted murder and housebreaking with intent to kill.
Siphamandla Mzileni was found guilty of fatally attacking a 61-year-old relative and wounding another family member during an incident in the Buchanana area near Empangeni in January this year.
According to the National Prosecuting Authority of South Africa (NPA), Mzileni broke into the victims’ home before carrying out the attack.
Provincial NPA spokesperson Natasha Ramkisson-Kara says the court heard that the violence stemmed from a dispute over a will.
“The NPA welcomes the effective sentence of life imprisonment imposed by the KZN High Court sitting at Mthunzini on 36-year-old Sphamandla Mzileni. This follows the conviction for murder, attempted murder and housebreaking with the intent to kill. The court sentenced him to five years’ imprisonment for housebreaking with the intent to kill, life imprisonment for murder and 12 years for attempted murder.”
Ramkisson-Kara says the court ordered the sentenced will concurrently resulting in the effective sentencing of life imprisonment and he was declared unfit to possess the firearm.