Pretoria - The Chief Albert Luthuli Regional Court has sentenced a Mpumalanga man to life in prison after he shot the mother of his two children 16 times, killing her instantly.
Moses Jabulane Gama, 59, killed nurse Zanele Nhlebeya, 42, on 12 March 2019.
According to provincial police spokesperson Selvy Mohlala, after killing his partner, Gama went to Elukwatini police station to hand himself over.
“He was then charged for murder and made several court appearances from 13 March 2019 until he was granted bail.”
Mohlala said that after he was out on bail, Gama used the opportunity to evade justice as he never showed up in court again.
“Police were left with the challenging task to locate him. He was circulated in the list of wanted suspects. The investigation team finally managed to track him down in Mofolo North in Soweto in the Gauteng province on 30 December 2022,” said Mohlala.
Gama was convicted on 22 February this year.
“Apart from life time in jail, he was also declared unfit to possess a firearm.”
Acting provincial police commissioner, Major General Zeph Mkhwanazi commended the outstanding performance by the team of investigators, the prosecution team as well as the judiciary.
“The General further welcomed the well deserved sentence that was handed down by the court whilst emphasising the importance of tightening the grip by all law enforcement agencies in the fight against the pandemic of gender-based-violence,” Mohlala said.
IOL