A traditional healer’s testimony has helped the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) secure a life sentence against a man who murdered his former girlfriend in Mpumalanga when the sangoma testified in court that the accused had approached him for cleansing following the crime.
NPA Mpumalanga spokesperson Monica Nyuswa said Mandla Sizwe Nkosi, 37, was sentenced to life imprisonment by the Mpumalanga Division of the High Court in Mbombela for the premeditated murder of Thembeka Nomfundo Bembe, 32.
Bembe was shot dead outside her rented flat in Kanyamazane Extension 19 on 30 June 2022.
Nkosi was also sentenced to 12 years’ imprisonment for attempted murder, eight years for unlawful possession of a firearm and five years for unlawful possession of ammunition. The sentences will run concurrently, meaning he will effectively serve life imprisonment.
The court further declared him unfit to possess a firearm.
According to Nyuswa, Bembe and Nkosi had previously been in a relationship and lived together before separating.
Following their breakup, Bembe allegedly began receiving death threats from an unidentified person, prompting her to open a criminal case.
On the day of the shooting, Bembe was at her rented flat with her sister when the electricity in their room suddenly went off, while the lights in other rooms remained on.
The sisters went outside to investigate the electricity distribution box when gunfire was directed at them.
They ran in different directions in an attempt to escape, but Bembe was shot and died from her injuries. Her sister survived the attack unharmed.
Nyuswa said Nkosi was arrested in May 2025 following an investigation conducted by Warrant Officer Ben Nkambule.
During the trial, Nkosi pleaded not guilty and denied involvement in the offences.
However, state prosecutor Advocate Reuben Sekgobela presented circumstantial evidence linking him to the shooting, including testimony from the traditional healer and cellphone data placing Nkosi near the crime scene at the time of the attack.
The court accepted the state’s evidence and rejected Nkosi’s version of events.
During sentencing arguments, Sekgobela highlighted the devastating impact of gender-based violence and femicide and urged the court to impose the prescribed minimum sentence of life imprisonment.
The court also heard that Bembe was employed as a nurse when she was killed and left behind three minor children.
Victim impact statements compiled by Bembe’s family and her surviving sister, with assistance from court preparation officer Nomfundo Mokoena, detailed the emotional, psychological and financial consequences of the crime.
The court found no substantial and compelling circumstances to justify departing from the prescribed minimum sentence and imposed life imprisonment for murder.
Nyuswa said the NPA welcomed the sentence as a demonstration of its commitment to prosecuting perpetrators of gender-based violence and femicide without fear, favour or prejudice.
She said the case reinforced the message that violence against women, particularly within intimate relationships, would be met with the full force of the law.
The NPA also urged victims and survivors of domestic violence to report abuse to law enforcement authorities and seek assistance from available support services.
