The South Gauteng High Court, sitting in Palm Ridge, has sentenced a 21-year-old man, Sifiso Mkhwanazi to life imprisonment for the brutal murder of six Zimbabwean sex workers in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Mkhwanazi was sentenced on Wednesday, September 18, 2024, after he was convicted of six counts of m8rder, six counts of r@pe, six counts of defeating or obstructing the administration of justice, as well as unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition.
Judge Cassim Moosa declared Mkhwanazi a dangerous criminal who was arrogant and threatened the well-being of other people in society.
The plethora of charges against Mkhwanazi emanates from the discovery of six female bodies at the premises of his father’s panel beating business in Rosettenville, Joburg, in October 2022.
During the course of the trial, Mkhwanazi admitted to his father, Mark Khumalo, that he had k!lled the six women, but denied the murders were planned or premeditated.
The case’s leading investigating officer, Bongani Mbonambi, told the court that all victims had been bound, gagged, and strangled to d@ath, pointing to an elaborate plan proving his theory that all the murders were premeditated.
Mbonambi said based on the evidence and the circumstances surrounding the six deaths, Mkhwanazi was executing revenge against the women because of an earlier case of rape levelled against him.
However, Mkhwanazi’s defence counsel, Vuyo Maqetuka, argued that he killed the sex workers after they raised the prices they had initially agreed upon, and out of fear that he would be arrested.
However, Judge Moosa differed, saying: “Six times, why didn’t he stay away from the sex workers?”
“The accused was triggered in all six times that he might be arrested for r@pe again. When they wanted more money, that’s when he was angered,” Maqetuka said at the time.
In delivering judgment, Judge Moosa emphasised that, despite the accused’s age at the time of the murders, he remained a dangerous criminal.
“I have carefully considered the relative age of the accused when he committed his crimes and the argument that he should be regarded as relatively youthful when considering a suitable sentence to be imposed upon him,” Mossa said.
“Having done so and accepting that he was 19 years old at the time of the commission of the crimes, I am compelled to conclude that the supposed relative youthfulness simply pales into the background having due regard into the horrendous nature of his actions,”
The judge stated that the crimes Mkhwanazi was convicted of, along with the condition of the victims’ bodies, clearly demonstrated a high level of violence against them.
“There was an extremely great degree of premeditation involved on the part of the accused over a period of time in the commission of the crimes.
Moosa expressed the view that Mkhwanazi showed no remorse for his actions.
“The accused acknowledged that he committed the crimes. However, despite this, he does not seem to have insight into his criminality or the impact the crimes had on the victims.
“The accused has proved that he has a very poor prognosis for rehabilitation and will most likely remain a threat to society as long as he is alive. Government has identified violence against women as a national scourge.”
Mkhwanazi was sentenced to life imprisonment, along with an additional 10 years for obstructing the course of justice and 15 years for rape.
“The accused is sentenced to undergo imprisonment for an indeterminate period and it is directed that the accused shall be brought before this court upon exploration of 30 years to enable this court to reconsider his sentence,” the judge ruled.
