Six life terms for Zimbabwe man who killed his Eastern Cape family applauded

During trial, the court heard that Nowa Makula committed the murders in a fit of rage because his girlfriend had allegedly cheated on him.

PRETORIA, May 19 (ANA) – South Africa’s Commission for Gender Equality has applauded the six life sentences meted out on 32-year-old Nowa Makula earlier this week, after he was convicted of killing his longtime girlfriend Nomzamo Mhlanti and five children including a six-month-old baby last year.

Makula, a Zimbabwean national based in the Eastern Cape, appeared in the Elliotdale regional court on Monday. He had pleaded guilty to all six counts of murder on March 25.

“The Commission for Gender Equality welcomes the six life terms handed down to … Makula,” CGE spokesman Javu Baloyi said in a statement.

“The murders took place when the country was commemorating the 16 days of activism against violence on women and children in 2020. The commission has been monitoring the case and we are satisfied with the speed in which the verdict was delivered.”

Makula had reportedly fathered three of the children he butchered with an axe.

Baloyi said the sentence should serve as a benchmark in speedily addressing gender-based violence cases.

“As the institution empowered by the Constitution to promote respect for gender equality and the protection, development and attainment of gender equality, this places upon the commission the burden to ensure that our country observes the right of women and children to be protected against gender-based violence,” he said.

The CGE appealed to both the public and private sectors and the communities to take a stand against perpetrators of gender-based violence.

“We will continue as the CGE through our outreach and legal programmes to educate and raise awareness,” said Baloyi.

In passing sentence, the court highlighted that the killings amounted to a massacre.

Police spokesman Thembinkosi Kinana detailed how Makula attacked the family in their shack at Sidabekweni Village in November before attempting to flee the country. He was arrested in less than 24 hours, miles away from the crime scene in King Williams Town where his brother lived.

During trial, the court heard that Makula committed the murders in a fit of rage because his girlfriend had allegedly cheated on him. Detectives who came to the scene found bodies strewn all over the shack while identity documents, cellphones and other valuables were cut into pieces.

After an investigation which included verification of his citizenship, the Zimbabwean man eventually admitted to murdering his six victims.

Delivering sentence, the magistrate said South Africa was a constitutional country governed by the rule of law.

The magistrate said the killings were unnecessary and motivated by selfishness, noting that Makula did not demonstrate any remorse but attempted to escape.

– African News Agency (ANA), Editing by Stella Mapenzauswa