Durban — A man has been handed a double life sentence and a further 10 years for killing his mother and sister after accusing them of bewitching him.
On Wednesday, the Pietermaritzburg High Court sentenced Elias Delisani Mkhize, 54, to two terms of life and 10 years’ imprisonment after he pleaded guilty to the murder of his biological mother and sister in December 2023, in the Mid-Illovo area.
He also pleaded guilty to possessing an unlicensed firearm.
National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) KwaZulu-Natal spokesperson Natasha Ramkisson-Kara said Mkhize lived in the same area as his mother and sister, Mathithi and Celiwe Mkhize. Before the incidents, Mkhize suspected his mother and sister of bewitching him and he decided to kill them.
Ramkisson-Kara said that on December 20 last year, armed with his unlicensed firearm, Mkhize went to their home which was a short distance away. He shot them both and used a bush knife to decapitate them. He disposed of their heads in a nearby pit toilet. He was arrested hours later.
In aggravation of sentence, prosecutor Melumzi Gula handed in a Victim Impact Statement compiled by Mathithi’s son (Celiwe’s brother) and facilitated by the court preparation manager, Xolile Mzobe. In his statement, he said his life changed the day he received the call that his mother and sister were dead. He said that he could not understand why his brother would kill his family members in such a brutal way. He added that the images he saw following the murders will remain with him for a long time.
“Mkhize was sentenced to life imprisonment for each of the murders and 10 years’ imprisonment for the possession of an unlicensed firearm. The court ordered that the sentences run concurrently, resulting in the effective sentence of life imprisonment. He was also declared unfit to possess a firearm,” Ramkisson-Kara said.
During the time of their murder, 7 710 people were murdered in South Africa.
This was revealed in the third quarter of 2023/24 financial year (October 2023 to December 2023).
In three months, 1 649 people were killed in KZN, 172 murders fewer than in 2022.
Additionally, 1 956 murders occurred in residences of the perpetrator or victim (including residences known by victims or perpetrators such as family, friends or neighbours).
At the time of reporting, 1 135 women were killed, 34 more than the previous year.
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