Man sentenced to life imprisonment for ex-girlfriend’s murder

The Durban High Court sentenced Sphamandla Siyalo Khumalo (37) to life imprisonment for the murder of Nomfundo Thandiswa Nomonde Msibi (30), in August 2024.

Msibi and Khumalo shared a child together.

Sometime prior to the incident, Msibi ended her relationship with Khumalo and limited her communication with him. In the interim, she had started seeing someone else.

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On August 4, 2024, Msibi was contacted by Khumalo’s brother, asking her to meet at a shopping mall, to lay-bye clothes for the child.

Msibi agreed to meet them and asked her boyfriend to accompany her, as she was afraid of Khumalo.

While at the mall, Msibi got separated from her boyfriend, and met Khumalo and his brother. They got into an argument about payment, and then they headed back to the public transport rank.

Khumalo who was armed with a knife stabbed Msibi, and she ran away from him. However, he pursued until he caught her and stabbed her to death, continuing to stab her body. He was arrested at the scene.

Regional spokesperson of the National Prosecuting Authority, Natasha Ramkisson-Kara, said, “In court, Advocate Krishen Shah handed in a victim impact statement (VIS) compiled by Msibi’s brother, and facilitated by court preparation officer, Thandeka Nadi Mofokeng. In his statement, the man described Msibi as a humble and caring person who loved her children. He further stated that the incident has caused a lot of trauma to their family.” 

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Khumalo was sentenced accordingly. In addition to the sentence, he was declared unfit to possess a firearm.

“The NPA welcomes this successful prosecution. We hope that sentences of this nature demonstrate that we and our partners in the justice cluster are serious about fighting the scourge of gender-based violence,” Ramkisson-Kara concluded.