A 40-year-old man was recently handed down a life sentence in the Durban Regional Court after brutally stabbing his 21-year-old lover to death during a drunken argument.

Mapi Mhle Goba pleaded guilty, in terms of Section 112 of the Criminal Procedure Act, to the murder of 21-year-old Nondumiso Sbahle Dlamini in September, 2025, near the Edwin Swales Highway.

In his plea, Goba stated that on September 12, 2025, he met the woman at the traffic lights in the Mayville area, where they had arranged to meet before going to a tavern for drinks.

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Regional spokesperson of the National Prosecuting Authority, Natasha Ramkisson-Kara said, “After spending time at the tavern, both became intoxicated, and an argument ensued over money that had allegedly gone missing from his room. Goba stated that they left the tavern and walked along a gravel footpath next to the bushes on the Edwin Swales Highway. Although intoxicated, he admitted that he was fully aware of his actions and surroundings. During the argument, the woman shouted at him, whereupon he stabbed her in the neck, and she fell into the bushes. Goba failed to report the incident and only disclosed the location of the deceased’s body after his arrest, when he conducted a pointing out that led police to her decomposed remains.”

In aggravation of sentence, State Advocate Cheryl Pillay presented medical evidence, as well as a victim impact statement compiled by the deceased’s father and facilitated by court preparation officer, Nondumiso Nyembe.

In court, Pillay said, “He initially told everyone that he left her in Seaview to drink with foreigners. When they followed up on that lead, he changed and said she went to a lodge at Point with her boyfriend. When this was followed up on, the accused had run out of excuses. He knew that he could no longer lie, and he had to disclose what had happened to the deceased. The accused’s girlfriend also received a message, supposedly from the deceased, stating that she was in town and that she was going to Umlazi with her boyfriend. This was further confirmed when the accused returned home that date and informed his girlfriend that he saw the deceased in town, and she also told him that she was going to Umlazi. It was clear that this accused went to great lengths to cover his crime and to mislead everyone.”

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In his statement, the deceased’s father described his daughter as a respectful, bubbly, and loving young woman. He told the court that her death had devastated him, causing him to become ill.

He further explained that he was forced to relocate because he had lived near the accused and could no longer bear seeing his house. In addition to the life sentence, the court declared Goba unfit to possess a firearm.