A 29-year-old Eastern Cape man has been sentenced to life in prison for stabbing to death a 74-year-old after a dispute about traditional beer.
The Willowvale regional court sentenced Aviwe Dambile on Wednesday, after convicting him of premeditated murder.
The murder occurred in Madlutshana Village, in the Ngadla area, Willowvale district, on June 28 2024.
Two weeks before the killing, Dambile and the elderly man attended a traditional house-warming ceremony where traditional beer was being served.
During the ceremony, Dambile kicked over a bucket of beer that had been set aside for the elderly, protesting that young men were receiving less than their elders.
He was expelled from the event and, in anger, singled out the 74-year-old publicly, threatening to kill him in retaliation.
NPA spokesperson Luxolo Tyali said that on the night of the murder, the victim’s daughter, who works in Cape Town, had returned home and invited family members to her homestead for a drink.
“While the deceased and a friend were enjoying a bottle of brandy, Dambile arrived and again repeated his threats, which the elderly man ignored.
“After the gathering dispersed, Dambile followed the deceased and his friend.
“Moments later, the deceased’s grandson, who later became the state’s key witness, heard the old man screaming for help,” Tyali said.
Using his cellphone torch, the grandson found Dambile assaulting the man with his walking stick, which broke into pieces.
“Dambile then drew a knife and stabbed the elderly man multiple times.
“When the witness tried to intervene, Dambile advanced towards him, forcing him to flee for his safety.
“The witness alerted his family, and while [he was] reporting the incident, Dambile returned to the homestead, declaring that he had ‘fulfilled his promise’.
“When asked where the body was, he directed them to nearby bushes, where they found the deceased’s body covered with his jacket.
“The police arrested Dambile the following day, finding him unbothered and going about his normal activities,” Tyali said.
During the trial, Dambile pleaded guilty but claimed that he acted in self-defence, though admitting that he had exceeded the bounds of private defence.
Regional court prosecutor Yandisa Mhaga rejected this explanation and led the evidence of the state witness, as well as the postmortem report, which revealed that the elderly man had suffered a fractured skull and 21 stab wounds.
Tyali said the sentence delivered justice for the victim and sent a strong message that violence against the most vulnerable members of society would not be tolerated.
“Cases of this nature reaffirm the NPA’s commitment to ensuring justice and removing dangerous offenders from our communities,” he said.
Daily Dispatch
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