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Premier Sibusiso Ndebele welcomes sentencing of father for axe murder of kids
10 September 2007
KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Premier Sibusiso Ndebele has welcomed the sentencing today (10 September 2007), in the Greytown Magistrate's Court in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands, of a father who killed three of his children with an axe.
Thirty-two-year-old Sthembiso Mathenjwa, who killed the children in Ngome village, Umsinga on 1 September 2007, was sentenced to three life sentences.
Mathenjwa was arrested on 2 September 2007. He appeared in the Greytown Magistrate's Court and was remanded in custody until he appeared in court again today (10 September 2007) where he pleaded guilty on all three counts of murder.
The bodies of six-year-old Zamaswazi, three-year-old Bongukuphila and one-year-old Thalente were found by their mother who had earlier fled the home during an argument with Mathenjwa.
Premier Ndebele praised the South African Police Service (SAPS) for the swift arrest of Mathenjwa. "We hope that this sentence will contribute towards ensuring that justice is not only done but is seen to be done."
"We also want to encourage a buy-in from men and boys to rid KwaZulu-Natal of all its discriminatory ills. A standing Men's Forum must speak the loudest when women, girls and children are abused by men. They must help us inculcate a new culture which places women and children in their rightful place," the Premier said.
Since the murders of the Mathenjwa Children, the Human Rights Component in the Office of the Premier has provided assistance to the mother and surviving child. Trauma counselling sessions have also been arranged.
Enquiries:
Logan Maistry
Cell: 083 6444 050
Issued by: KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government
10 September 2007