Lindokuhle Shongwe.
A 26-year-old woman has been sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of her 30-year-old partner, Comefriday Silindile Mkhonza, in Badplaas.
Lindokuhle Peggy Shongwe was sentenced by the Mpumalanga Division of the High Court in Mbombela after being found guilty of murdering Mkhonza, on October 13, whom she stabbed three times during an argument at his residence on June 21, 2025.
According to the Mpumalanga spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), Monica Nyuswa, Shongwe and Mkhonza were in a domestic relationship when the incident occurred.
During the argument, Shongwe stabbed Mkhonza three times in the upper body with a knife.
Mkhonza’s nephew, who had overheard the argument, left the premises. He later received a call from Shongwe, who was using Mkhonza’s cellphone, informing him that his uncle had stabbed himself.
“When the nephew returned home, he found Mkhonza lying in a pool of blood but still responsive. Mkhonza was subsequently transported to a local clinic, where he was certified dead,” Nyuswa said.
Shongwe fled the scene but was later arrested.
During the trial, Shongwe pleaded not guilty and denied knowing how Mkhonza sustained the stab wounds. She claimed that they had been struggling over a knife.
However, State Advocate Senzo Zindela presented evidence that contradicted her version, including medical evidence from the doctor who examined Mkhonza’s body.
The doctor testified that the depth of the wounds indicated that they could not have been self-inflicted. The court accepted the State’s evidence and rejected Shongwe’s account as false.
In arguing for an appropriate sentence, Zindela highlighted the seriousness of the crime, the three stab wounds inflicted on Mkhonza and Shongwe’s lack of remorse.
The State also presented a victim impact statement facilitated by court preparation officer Nomfundo Mokoena and compiled by Mkhonza’s mother. It detailed the profound emotional, psychological and financial impact his death had on his family.
The court found no substantial and compelling circumstances to justify departing from the prescribed minimum sentence and imposed life imprisonment for murder.
Shongwe was also declared unfit to possess a firearm, and her application for leave to appeal was dismissed.
The NPA welcomed the sentence, saying it demonstrated its commitment to holding perpetrators of gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF) accountable and securing justice for victims and their families.
The authority urged victims and survivors of domestic violence to report incidents to law enforcement authorities and seek assistance from available support services.
