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During sentencing in the 2024 murder of Tania Msane Zungu, a KZN court called on the public to continue speaking out against gender-based violence.
Luwanda Mxolisi Zungu is sentenced to life behind bars for the 2024 murder of his wife. Photo: Makhosandile Zulu Former SANDF member Luwanda Mxolisi Zungu was handed a life sentence yesterday at the Pinetown Regional Court for the murder of his wife, Tania Msane Zungu, in 2024.that following the proceedings, Tania’s mother, Patience Msane, said although the life sentence was welcomed, Zungu deserved eight life sentences for each of the bullets fired when killing her daughter.
Msane referred to a victim impact statement read by the state prosecutor during arguments in aggravation of sentence, which revealed the severe trauma experienced by the family and noted that the convicted murderer had not shown remorse. Handing down the sentence, Magistrate Muntu Khumalo said the court had to consider that South Africa has one of the highest rates of femicide, adding that the sheer brutality of Zungu’s crime had shocked local communities.
Khumalo urged that speaking out against gender-based violence and femicide must be ongoing in a country plagued by such crimes. The magistrate said aggravating circumstances far outweighed mitigating factors. He noted that Zungu shot Tania eight times, fled the scene in a taxi to Johannesburg without attempting to save her life and killed her in their matrimonial bedroom while she was asleep with children in the home.
Khumalo noted that Zungu failed to explain in court what had necessitated his actions, leaving the family without closure. He added that the callous attack was evidence of a lack of remorse. Evidence presented during the trial proved Zungu killed Tania while she was defenceless in her own home.
Khumalo pointed out that the sentencing came at a time when the country was witnessing reports ofHe added that worrying rates of GBVF prompted President Cyril Ramaphosa to declare these crimes a second pandemic, leading to the establishment of GBV command centres to support victims. Breaking news at your fingertips…
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