Mbombela Man Kills Father For Not Supporting His Music Career
A Mbombela son has been slapped with a life imprisonment sentence after he killed his father for not supporting his music ambitions.
Twenty-two-year-old Siphamandla Gift Khumalo, who was disgruntled that his father was blocking his dream of becoming a musical artist, pleaded guilty to eliminating his 47-year-old father, Bheki Eric Khumalo, at the Mbombela High Court, Zimoja reports.
Siphamandla and his father, Bheki, had a good relationship, but it turned ugly when the 22-year-old son felt that his father was not supporting his wish to become a musical star.
Bheki, who was a businessman, wanted his son to study engineering instead. This did not go down well with Siphamandla, who felt his father was obstructing his vision.
As a result, he thought of a way to get rid of his father altogether.
National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Monica Nyuswa said one day, Siphamandla left their home in Mayflower and went to Ermelo, Mpumalanga, where his father was running his business.
When he got to Ermelo, his father was not around, so he waited for his return. When Bheki arrived, Siphamandla took out a knife and stabbed him in the neck, leading to his death.
Zimoja added that before the sentence was handed, State Advocate Eugene Mathebula gave High Court Judge Greyling Coetzer a victim impact statement written by Bheki’s wife, who is also Gift’s mother.
She told the court how she was now widowed and left with no source of livelihood since her husband was the sole breadwinner. She also revealed how people in her community resent her, believing that she plotted with her son to kill her husband.
The judge found no compelling and substantial reasons to deviate from the prescribed minimum sentence, and she sentenced Gift to life imprisonment.
