A Nelson Mandela University student who stabbed his former partner to death in her dorm room has been sentenced to life behind bars.
The George Regional Court found 20-year-old Luyanda Mahlanza guilty of murdering Zimkhitha Ntshisela, also a 20-year-old student, rejecting his version of events that painted the attack as self-defence.
Mahlanza attacked Ntshisela on 6 June 2023 in her university residence. According to IOL, the pair were alone in her room when students heard a commotion and called a student assistant.
NMU STUDENT SENTENCED TO LIFE
Using a spare key, the assistant entered the room and found Mahlanza in the act of repeatedly stabbing Ntshisela. The assistant managed to restrain him, stopping the attack.
During the trial, Mahlanza claimed Ntshisela had confronted him about cheating and came at him with a knife.
PLANNING THE MURDER
The court rejected the claim due to a lack of evidence, and prosecutor Advocate Karin Barnard accused the student of planning the murder and acting out of rage.
The court noted that Mahlanza’s late guilty plea seemed more tactical than remorseful. An attempt to soften his punishment rather than accept responsibility.
What does this brazen attack say about rising violence and safety?
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