George Man Sentenced To 15 Years For Murder

The George Regional Court has sentenced Sithembile Nokwe, to 15 years imprisonment, after the Prosecutor argued that he was a danger to society, and deserved no other sentence than the befitting prescribed minimum sentence for murder. Nokwe was convicted for the murder of Asanda Mnabisa after he stabbed him several times while they were sitting in the back seat of a friend’s vehicle arguing.

A few days before this incident, Nokwe was robbed of his tekkies, by people he believed were known to Mnabisa. The Prosecutor, Samantha Hendricks, told the court on 9 September 2019, that Nokwe went to look for the deceased, to get an assist to get his takkies back. Hendricks called several witnesses during the trial, and Xolani Oyiya was a  key eyewitness to the murder.

Oyiya testified that he and Andile Mncanjane met Nokwe, who seek their assistance to trace the deceased. They found the deceased, and they all went to Ramaphosa Informal Settlement, where Nokwe was robbed.  Oyiya further testified that they drove around for some time, looking for the tekkies and then went to the house of a street committee member, after being told that she might know where the tekkies were. They waited for her at her house but left after some time when she failed to arrive.

The accused pleaded not guilty, and instead implicated Mancanjane as the one who stabbed the deceased.  Arguing for a fitting sentence, Hendricks, said the accused has been found guilty of a very serious offence. This court is overburdened by offences of murder, attempted murder and culpable homicide cases. Violence in any form, cannot be condoned by the courts and is an evil that is rooted deeply within South African society.

The spate of violent crimes such as the one that the accused has been convicted of is ever increasing. The courts can help to root out this evil by imposing sentences that match the seriousness of these offences. He is a danger to people and society. He has shown no remorse for his actions in respect of the offence he has committed and maintains his innocence in the face of overwhelming evidence against him.  The State submits that the prescribed minimum sentence is the only suitable sentence under the circumstances.

The court concurred ad sentenced the accused to 15 years imprisonment. The Director of Public Prosecutions in the Western Cape, Adv. Nicolette Bell applauded the sentence handed down by the court, and the commendable work done by the investigating and prosecution team.                                                                                                                               

Note: The NPA’s media statements are available on the website: www.npa.gov.za

Issued by:

Eric Ntabazalila

National Prosecuting Authority

Regional Communications Manager

Western Cape

Tel: (021) 487 7308Mobile: 073 062 1222

Email: entabazalila@npa.gov.za