Family wiped out: Eswatini man sentenced to life for murdering Mpumalanga mom and three children
Acting Mpumalanga police commissioner Major General Zeph Mkhwanazi has welcomed the four life sentences handed to Africa Thembinkosi Shongwe, 57, for the brutal murders of a woman and her three children in Phola Park near Mbombela.
Shongwe was sentenced by the Breyten High Court sitting in Mbombela on Thursday, after pleading guilty to four counts of murder and contravening the Immigration Act. The Eswatini national, who is the biological father of one of the murdered minors, admitted to killing the woman, her twin boys, and her daughter on 25 February 2023.
According to the State, neighbours raised the alarm after noticing that the woman had not taken her children to school as she routinely did. When they went to check on her, they found the house locked from the inside, with flies visible through the windows, blood on the floor and part of a child’s body in view.
Police forced entry and discovered the four bodies, all bearing head injuries consistent with the use of a sharp object.
“The deceased persons were identified, and among them were three minor children – twin boys and one girl – as well as an adult female who was the mother of the children,” said provincial SAPS spokesperson in Mpumalanga, Captain Mpho Nonyane-Mpe.
Shongwe pleaded guilty to all charges leveled against him on Monday, during his appearance at the Mpumalanga High Court, which was sitting in Breyten. The matter was then postponed to Thursday for sentencing.
The court imposed life imprisonment on each of the four murder counts and declared Shongwe unfit to possess a firearm.
Mkhwanazi praised investigators, prosecutors and the judiciary for securing the conviction, and thanked community members for alerting authorities when they noticed something was wrong.
jonisayi.maromo@iol.co.za
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