Triple murder accused 33-year-old Nobambela sentenced to 25 years

Triple murder accused 33-year-old Siyamcela Nobambela has been sentenced to 25 years in prison in the Circuit High Court in Worcester in the Boland.

He suffocated and murdered his victims in 2020. He will serve 15 years for one murder and two concurrent 10 year sentences.

This is Pinevalley Informal settlement, where the bodies of 21-year old Bernadine Frans, 25-year-old Miche Pienaar and 33-year-old Gizella Minaar were found between September and October in 2020.

Two of the victims were buried in shallow graves.

Families of the three victims are not happy. They say they are disappointed by the sentence and as such they have been left devastated.

He was sentenced to an effective 25-year jail after Judge Lister Nuku gave him 15 years sentence for each murder.

Nuku said the perpetrator was a first offender, he confessed to the murders, pointed out where he buried the bodies and showed remorse during the trial.

But the families wanted a harsher sentence.

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) says it accepts the sentence although it had appealed for a life term.

NPA Spokesperson, Eric Ntabazalila says the judge considered other factors before coming to the decision and they accept his rationale.