KEY POINTS
- Khumalo’s conviction relied on irrefutable CCTV evidence showing 22 deliberate stab wounds, with judge ruling the attack premeditated due to fabricated meeting pretext.
- Case highlights systemic gaps in protecting women from ex-partners, despite South Africa’s 2023 GBV National Strategic Plan pledging stronger enforcement.
- Sentencing phase to scrutinize Khumalo’s pattern of coercive control, as activists demand this case set precedent for harsher penalties in femicide trials.
The Durban High Court has found Siphamandla Khumalo guilty of premeditated murder for the fatal stabbing of his ex-girlfriend, Nomfundo Msibi, in a brutal attack captured on CCTV at Gateway Mall last August.
Judge Jacqueline Henriques delivered the verdict Monday, emphasizing the calculated nature of the crime after reviewing footage showing Khumalo inflicting 22 stab wounds on the 34-year-old mother of two in broad daylight.
“The CCTV evidence leaves no doubt—this was a deliberate, sustained attack intended to kill,” Henriques stated in her ruling.
The court heard how Khumalo lured Msibi to the Umhlanga shopping center under false pretenses, with prosecutors proving he orchestrated the meeting through his brother under the guise of finalizing a lay-by purchase for their child.
According to Timeslive, the tragedy unfolded months after Msibi ended the relationship with Khumalo and began dating Mthobisi Gasela, who became a key witness.
Gasela testified to seeing Khumalo block Msibi’s attempts to flee before the stabbing. Forensic evidence showed the Okapi knife used was lodged so deeply in Msibi’s body that paramedics initially missed it during emergency response.
“He planned this like a hunter stalks prey,” said state advocate Krishen Shah, who presented evidence of Khumalo’s persistent harassment prior to the attack. Despite Legal Aid attorney Phumelele Danisa’s not-guilty plea, Khumalo declined to testify—a decision legal analysts suggest may have sealed his conviction.
Khumalo: Case reignites debates about gender-based violence
The case has reignited debates about South Africa’s crisis of gender-based violence, where a woman is murdered every three hours. Activists gathered outside the courthouse holding portraits of Msibi alongside placards reading “No More Lip Service—Protect Women Now.”
National Prosecuting Authority data reveals only 12% of intimate partner murder cases result in convictions, though this prosecution bucked the trend through rare CCTV evidence. “Without that footage, this could’ve been another ‘he said, she said’ dismissal,” admitted GBV researcher Lindiwe Dlamini.
Msibi’s family submitted a victim impact statement describing her as “a light extinguished by jealousy.” Her eldest child, now in therapy, reportedly asks weekly when “mommy’s monster” will be punished.
Sentencing proceedings will consider Khumalo’s history—including prior restraining order violations—against aggravating factors like the attack’s public nature. Legal experts anticipate life imprisonment given Henriques’ emphasis on premeditation.
