A Willowvale man who brutally killed his girlfriend has been sentenced to life imprisonment.
On Thursday the Mthatha high court, sitting in Butterworth, sentenced Sinawo Musa Zenani, 26, for the murder of his girlfriend, Lusanda Sikisi, 27, in February.
Zenani was also convicted of contravening a protection order granted to Sikisi two months before her death.
She worked as an administrative clerk at the Willowvale magistrate’s court.
Zenani received an additional five-year sentence for this violation, to run concurrently with his life sentence.
NPA spokesperson Luxolo Tyali said the relationship between Zenani and Sikisi was marked by violence, prompting Sikisi to secure the protection order on December 29 2023, which prohibited Zenani from entering her rental property.
“Sikisi had informed both her neighbours through a WhatsApp group and the police about the protection order.”
On February 25 2024 Zenani arrived at Sikisi’s home at Mtshemla Flats, Willowvale, and knocked on her door while calling her name.
When the door was not opened, the neighbours, as per their agreement, posted updates on the WhatsApp group about the unfolding situation.
“Zenani pretended to leave but remained at the premises. When Sikisi eventually opened the door, he forced his way into her flat.”
Tyali said neighbours overheard an argument, followed by Sikisi’s chilling screams.
“Shortly thereafter Zenani emerged from the flat, covered in blood, and reportedly told the neighbours in isiXhosa, ‘ndimgqibile’, loosely translated to ‘I have finished her’.”
Zenani fled but later surrendered at the Butterworth police station, 70km from the crime scene. A postmortem revealed that Sikisi had 55 stab wounds to her upper body.
Tyali said Zenani had pleaded not guilty, claiming non-pathological temporary insanity due to anger.
However, senior state advocate Nkululeko Mzinyati produced nine witnesses, including testimony that Sikisi had been in hiding at friends’ homes in fear of Zenani, and had only returned to her flat on the day of the murder to do laundry.
“In a heart-wrenching impact statement during sentencing, Sikisi’s mother revealed that Sikisi’s three-year-old child, now an orphan, had lost both parents — the child’s father having previously been killed in a violent shootout at a funeral,” Tyali said.
Welcoming the life sentence, Eastern Cape director of public prosecutions Barry Madolo emphasised the significance of the ruling.
“This sentence highlights the NPA’s commitment to ensuring that perpetrators of femicide and gender-based violence are severely punished to deter others.
“The NPA continues to prosecute hundreds of such cases daily to protect the vulnerable and deliver justice for victims.”
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