KEY POINTS
- The brutal mall stabbing left the victim with 22 wounds.
- Prosecutors claim the attack was premeditated, not spontaneous.
- Chilling video footage shows the suspect repeatedly stabbing his ex-partner.
The Durban High Court heard evidence on Wednesday that Sphamandla Khumalo stabbed his two children’s mother at least 22 times in a shopping mall parking lot with the intent to kill her.
Brutal mall stabbing: Man accused of killing ex-partner
During closing arguments in Khumalo’s trial for the murder of 30-year-old Nomfundo Msibi, prosecutor Krishen Shah made the assertion. The Gateway shopping center was the scene of the August 4 attack.
Following the attack, Msibi was left in a pool of blood with an okapi knife embedded in her body while Khumalo and another man left the taxi rank.
Phumelele Danisa, a Legal Aid lawyer, represented Khumalo, who declined to testify in his defense. For premeditated murder, he entered a not guilty plea. “There was no evidence to suggest this was a spur-of-the-moment killing,” Shah said, arguing that the evidence demonstrated intent. During an argument, the victim was stopped from leaving.
The court had previously heard that the ex-couple, who had split up in May 2024, had decided to meet in the shopping center to settle a Truworths lay-by transaction that had been made in Msibi’s name.
Video footage shows chilling details of the fatal stabbing
The court watched video of Msibi’s last moments on Tuesday. Khumalo was seen in the video stabbing her repeatedly, even after she had fallen to the ground. He seemed to straddle her at one point and try to cut her throat.
According to Timeslive, Khumalo acknowledged stabbing Msibi, but he denied having the intention to murder her, according to Judge Jacqueline Henriques. Shah, however, cited proof that Msibi had run to KwaMashu out of concern that Khumalo was pursuing her.
Det-Const Boitumelo Phama, the investigating officer, compared the attack to the “slaughtering of an animal.” Henriques verified that Msibi had been stabbed 22 times.
When the case reopens on March 24, judgment is anticipated.
