The Durban High Court has sentence Thabani Mzolo to life imprisonment for killing Mangosuthu University of Technology (MUT) student, Zolile Khumalo.
Khumalo was shot and killed inside the students’ residence in Durban in May 2018. Handing down the judgement, Judge Nompumelelo Radebe said Mzolo planned the murder, adding that the brutality used by the accused shows that he has no value for other people’s lives.
“The accused by killing the deceased in the manner he did has shown that he has no value for other people’s lives or their physical integrity, or for that matter their dignity. The prevalence of femicide is worrying. Women are no longer free to pursue their lives and to choose their romantic relationship in the manner they would have loved to. It is not an offence for a woman to reject a man; there is no law that says a woman must not reject a man. Women have become the scapegoat for some of the weak man. I emphasise the word ‘some’ because it’s not all men who behave like the accused.”
Mzolo was sentenced to life as well as 26 years for possession of illegal firearm plus another three years for possession of ammunition.
In the video below, Judge Nompumelelo Radebe finds Thabani Mzolo guilty of Zolile Khumalo’s murder.
Aint laughing no more Judge Nompumelelo Radebe sentence murderer of @MUTcampus student Zolile Khumalo to Life in prison, 25yrs for count 2 and 3yrs for count 3 #JusticeforZolile #Justice #ZolileKhumalo @tumisole @noksy_k @CoruscaKhaya pic.twitter.com/VWLEy2d96q
— MUT_Alumni (@MUT_Alumni) March 5, 2020
Accused in the murder of Zolile Khumalo has been found guiltyhttps://t.co/p8DMhfzbrL pic.twitter.com/HQYgTFbPjW
— M U T (@MUTcampus) March 4, 2020
A witness in the case, Khumalo’s roommate Nosipho Bhengu, testified that Mzolo pulled the firearm from his bag and shot Khumalo. This contradicted Mzolo’s evidence that the firearm used in the murder belonged to the victim.
In the video below, Thabani Mzolo gives his version of events leading to the murder of Zolile Khumalo.
Strong message
The victim’s father, Solomuzi Khumalo, has welcomed the sentence.
“We are happy with the sentence. It will send a strong message to other people who want to commit a similar crime that he did by taking away the life of our child. He deserves to tot in jail. He doesn’t deserve to live with society.”
Meanwhile, students say the sentence will send a strong message to other people who intend to commit similar crimes.
“It’s been a long time that students of Mangosuthu have been pushing that the Justice must be served for our sister Zolile Khumalo and we are happy that the court of law took a decision to sentence Mzolo into prison and We are happy with that decision because it will send a clear message to all those people outside are still continuing to abuse and killing their girlfriend that the justice will serve and that they will be arrested and sentenced to jail.”
As Mzolo begins his sentence, Khumalo’s family says they now have closure after the brutal killing of their daughter.
