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The Lusikisiki Regional Court sentenced Nolufefe Jongwana (36) of Peddie, who was involved in the murder of her mother, Nolundi Jongwana (54), in 2019, last week.
She was sentenced with her two hitmen, Masixole Darke (28) and Ntsikayomzi Mpentsheni (36), to life imprisonment for the murder of the deceased.
Spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), Luxolo Tyali, the deceased was found stabbed multiple times on her upper body in her rented flat at Bambisana locality where she was a teacher, in the district of Lusikisiki on June 12, 2019.
Tyali said that police investigations led to the arrest of her daughter and her two accomplices on October 2, 2019, at Feni location near the district of Peddie, more than 400 kilometres from the scene of the crime.
He added that after the murder they travelled back to Peddie.
According to him, on receiving the news of her mother’s death, she acted shocked, posting on social media platforms seeking assistance for her mother’s “killers to be found.”
Tyali added that civic formations, both in Lusikisiki and Peddie, served petitions to law enforcement authorities demanding justice for the slain teacher.
“During the trial the trio pleaded not guilty and reserved the basis of their defence. Acting prosecutor, Siyabonga Macebo, relied on circumstances of their arrest, which they were also disputing. After a trial within a trial their confessions were ruled admissible. The court concluded that the state had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt, consequently finding the accused guilty of premeditated murder and sentencing them accordingly.”
Tyali said that the prosecutor requested the magistrate not to deviate from the minimum sentence as there were no compelling circumstances, and the court agreed.
Eastern Cape director of Public Prosecutions, Barry Madolo, commended the prosecutor and the investigating officer for ensuring that justice was served.
