A woman in Springs, Ekurhuleni, driven by her jealousy and anger over infidelity to murder her partner in 2024 will spend the rest of her life in prison after receiving a life sentence.
The Springs Magistrate’s Court sentenced Nonsumbuluko Majola, 39, to life imprisonment for the premeditated murder of Mojalefa Sefali, 39. The court also declared her unfit to possess a firearm.
Majola and her male accomplice visited Sefali’s home in Springs during the day on 13 June 2024, where the trio sat and drank alcohol.
Springs woman guilty of murdering her partner
“When the deceased was drunk, Majola requested her accomplice to hold him down and began to stab him with scissors and a kitchen knife all over his body,” National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) regional spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana said.
After stabbing Sefali, the pair left the scene, leaving him to die from his injuries.
Later that day, concerned neighbours noticed the victim’s absence and went to his home to find his dead body.
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The police opened the case. Mahanjana said that during the police’s investigation, one of Sefali’s neighbours told investigators that Majola and her accomplice were seen at Sefali’s home on the day of the incident.
The police subsequently arrested Majola on 29 June 2024 at her home.
“In court, Majola pleaded guilty, stating that she acted out of jealousy after discovering that the deceased had another girlfriend and claimed that she did not want to lose him,” Mahanjana said.
Accused discovered that deceased had another girlfriend
The NPA added that Majola’s legal representative requested the court to deviate from the prescribed minimum sentence during sentencing proceedings.
The representative cited that she was a first-time offender, a mother of two children and that she had shown remorse.
However, state prosecutor Salesah Phahlamohlaka argued the accused robbed Sefali of his life and deprived his family of a loved one.
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“The state further argued that being a first-time offender did not absolve Majola from facing the full consequences of the law and that the court had a duty to protect society by imposing the prescribed minimum sentence of life imprisonment,” Mahanjana said.
The magistrate agreed in sentencing that Majola was not genuinely remorseful and said that her offence formed part of South Africa’s murder, gender-based violence and violent crime problem.
“The magistrate stated that the crime was driven by jealousy and anger and that Majola’s guilty plea did not diminish the seriousness or brutality of the offence,” the NPA said.
‘Crime driven by jealousy and anger’
Advocate Marika Jansen Van Vuuren, the Gauteng acting director of public prosecutions, praised the efforts of Phahlamohlaka and Warrant Officer Albert Van Wyk of the Springs police station.
She said she hoped that the sentence would give the deceased’s family some peace and closure since they would know that justice had been done.
“The NPA reiterates its commitment to upholding the constitutional right to life and ensuring that all citizens can live safely and peacefully in their homes and communities,” Mahanjana said.
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