Life imprisonment for father who murdered his eight-year-old son in KwaZulu-Natal
A father was given life imprisonment for the murder of his minor son in January 2023. He strangled the boy to death with a drawstring from the child’s pants
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The Pinetown Regional Court has sentenced 30-year-old Siyabonga Innocent Shezi to life imprisonment for the January 2023 murder of his eight-year-old son in the Shongweni area of KwaZulu-Natal.
According to National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Natasha Ramkisson-Kara, Mr Shezi collected the child from his ex-girlfriend’s residence under the pretext of spending time together.
He instead took the child to a nearby river, where he strangled him using the drawstring of the child’s trousers.
After the incident, Mr Shezi phoned his ex-girlfriend’s sister, informed her of the killing, and provided the location of the child’s body. The matter was reported to the police, and Mr Shezi was arrested shortly thereafter.
During court proceedings, Prosecutor Rowan Souls led the evidence of the child’s mother. The defence subsequently made admissions, and the state presented testimony from a pathologist who confirmed the cause of death as ligature strangulation and blunt force head trauma.
In aggravation of sentence, the prosecution submitted a victim impact statement from the child’s mother, compiled with the assistance of Court Preparation Officer Nomonde Zokwana. The statement outlined the emotional toll of the child’s death.
Mr Shezi was also declared unfit to possess a firearm.