A Durban University of Technology (DUT) student was sentenced to 15 years direct imprisonment for the murder of a fellow student in January 2021. The Durban Regional Court sentenced Melusi Khoza on Friday (September 28) for the killing of Sifundo Thabiso Mhlongo in Durban.
Mr Khoza, 23, and the deceased, Mr Mhlongo, were both students at DUT, said National Prosecuting Authority Regional (NPA) spokesperson Natasha Ramkissoon-Kara.
“On the day of the incident, Khoza got into an argument with Mhlongo, about which one of them should have greeted the other first. Khoza then pulled out a knife and stabbed Mhlongo, then fled the scene while Mhlongo bled to death. Khoza remained on the run for a few months but was eventually arrested after police received information regarding his whereabouts,” said Ms Ramkisson-Kara.
In court, prosecutor Shenaaz Hoosen led the eyewitness testimonies of two people, who had been present when the stabbing took place. Ms Hoosen further handed in a victim impact statement, compiled by Mr Mhlongo’s mother.
“In the statement, the mother said that she had high hopes for her son to get a tertiary qualification and improve the quality of their lives. She said that she was reliant on him, and his death had a devastating effect on her and their family,” said Ms Ramkisson-Kara.
Since Khoza was charged with a murder that was not planned or premeditated, the court found no compelling or substantial circumstances which justified a deviation from the minimum sentence of 15 years imprisonment. He was therefore sentenced accordingly, she added.
