Man handed 22-year sentence for killing Umbumbulu woman
A convicted murderer has been sentenced to 22 years in prison for the killing of a woman from Umbumbulu.
Nozipho Zuma was strangled and stabbed to death in her grandmother's South Coast home in 2018 after Sfundo Phewa and Sizwe Sithole, a relative, broke into the house.
Phewa learnt his fate in the Durban High Court on Monday.
Acting Judge Harrison says he took several factors into consideration when sentencing Phewa, including his young age when the crime was committed and the influence his co-accused, Sithole, had on him.
Harrison says it was evident that he looked up and followed Sithole, taking cues from him when they committed the crime.
READ: Sentencing expected in murder case of Umbumbulu mom
However, Judge Harrison said he also considered the victim's family's statement.
They said Zuma's 12-year-old child, who was five at the time, suffered traumatic consequences and wished for a heavy and deterrent sentence.
Phewa received seven years for housebreaking, which will run concurrently with the murder sentence.
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