VIDEO: Mozambican Sithole's killers sentenced
The men who killed Mozambican national Emmanuel Sithole, during attacks on foreigners in 2015, were sentenced in the Johannesburg Magistrate's Court on Monday.
Mthinta Bhengu was sentenced to 17 years in jail for stabbing Sithole to death in Alexandra in April 2015.
Sifundo Mzimzela, Bhengu's accomplice, was sentenced to 10 years in jail for his part in the murder.
Magistrate Lucas van der Schyff handed down sentence in the case that shocked the nation after the attack was captured by a local photo journalist and the images published in several newspapers.
"If this case should have the effect that we, as a society, should reflect about our response to crime and the value which we place on life, then perhaps Emmanuel Sithole's tragic death would not have been entirely in vain," he said.
Van der Schyff didn't regard most of the evidence by the accused, as he said it was contradicted by the photographs submitted as evidence.
"Accused number one (Bhengu) tried to allege that he is remorseful, but this does not seem to be genuine remorse. Provocation is a similarly poor excuse. The photographs show his approach for quite some time before he actually reaches the deceased and he had more than enough time to cool down," he said.
Accused number three, who was a minor at the time of the attack, has been released and his sentencing postponed for 5 years, until February 2021.
"What accused number three needed, and what he still needs, is strict supervision and discipline," he said.
Mamosebetsi Mofokeng, Sithole's stepmother, said they welcome the sentencing.
(Photo: Maryke Vermaak, JacarandaFM News)