Zim GBC News | South African Correspondent<\/p>\n\n\n\n
PORT ST JOHNS, SOUTH AFRICA \u2013 In a judgment that has sent shockwaves through the Eastern Cape community, the Mthatha High Court sitting in Port St Johns on Thursday handed down five life sentences plus an additional ten years imprisonment to a 24-year-old man who brutally murdered his mother, younger sister, and an elderly woman last year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mzomhle Matakhiya showed no emotion as Justice delivered the comprehensive sentence for the horrific crimes committed on 23 June 2025, which left a family shattered and a community in mourning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to police reports, on that fateful day, Matakhiya stabbed his 40-year-old mother, his 20-year-old younger sister, and a 97-year-old woman\u2014who was the grandmother of his mother’s boyfriend\u2014to death in a sustained attack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The violence did not end there. His mother’s boyfriend and a neighbour were also stabbed during the rampage but miraculously survived the ordeal, fighting for their lives as Matakhiya unleashed his deadly assault.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Mzomhle Matakhiya was arrested on the same day, and the murder weapon was recovered,” police confirmed in a statement following the sentencing. “He never received bail as Flagstaff detectives opposed it from the onset. His case was transferred to the Mthatha High Court, and he appeared for the first time at the High Court on 2 March 2026.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The court convicted Matakhiya on Tuesday before delivering the hefty sentence on Thursday. The final judgment comprised three life terms for the three counts of murder, two additional life sentences for the two counts of attempted murder, and a consecutive ten-year sentence for malicious damage to property.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The sentences will run concurrently, meaning Matakhiya will effectively serve life imprisonment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Prosecutors welcomed the sentence, describing it as fitting for crimes that “strike at the very heart of the family unit and the sanctity of human life.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“The brutality displayed in this case is beyond comprehension,” said a source close to the prosecution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“To take the lives of one’s own mother and sister, alongside an elderly and defenceless 97-year-old woman, represents the ultimate betrayal of family bonds and human decency.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Defence lawyers had reportedly argued for leniency, citing Matakhiya’s age and potential mitigating factors, but the court remained unmoved by the pleas given the overwhelming evidence and the gravity of the offences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Community members who packed the courtroom throughout the proceedings expressed relief at the outcome, though many remain traumatised by the events that unfolded nearly a year ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“This sentence sends a clear message that our courts will not tolerate gender-based violence and the killing of vulnerable members of our society,” remarked a local activist who attended the sentencing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The case has reignited conversations in South Africa about the epidemic of gender-based violence and family murders, with advocacy groups calling for more preventative measures and support for families showing signs of distress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Zim GBC News | Global News From An African Perspective\u00a92026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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