A Mdantsane taxi driver, who was released from prison early last year, was sent back to jail yesterday by the Mdantsane Magistrate’s Court after being found guilty of murder.
The 31-year old Lizwi Saliwa, a father of three small children, was sentenced yesterday to 15 years behind bars by regional magistrate Twanet Olivier for the murder of his estranged wife Nokubonga Saliwa early last year.
Enraged by Nokubonga having an affair while he was behind bars, he went to the boyfriend’s house in NU2 and stabbed his wife repeatedly.
Nokubonga died in a pool of blood on the afternoon of January 21 last year – her 29th birthday.
The stabbing took place in front of the boyfriend’s niece, who was a key state witness.
Saliwa was arrested the same day and has been in custody ever since. Nokubonga’s new partner was not home at the time of the slaying.
State prosecutor Thamsanqa Jack said the postmortem showed Nokubonga died of a stab wound to the chest. Saliwa argued self-defence, claiming she had thrown boiling water at him.
Delivering judgment, Olivier said the jilted husband had gone to the house of his wife’s boyfriend on that afternoon with the clear intention to kill her.
The court heard that when he knocked on the front door, the niece and Nokubonga opened for him. He went inside and demanded his wife leave with him.
She refused and a verbal exchange ensued.
The niece, in the dining room when Saliwa started stabbing his wife, ran and locked herself in the bedroom, screaming for help.
A neighbour, testifying as a state witness, told the court that he saw Saliwa going inside the house, and a few minutes later he saw him exiting through the back door with a bloodied knife in his hands.
“When the neighbour asked you why you had stabbed the young lady, you told her that there was no way you would pay lobola for someone to be your wife, and then that person ends up cheating and having a love affair with someone else,” said Olivier, claims which the defence had denied during trial.
Saliwa had claimed in his defence that his wife attacked him first with the knife and that they wrestled. The knife fell on the ground and he used his feet to block his wife from accessing it.
He told court that his wife threw boiling water at him, resulting in him stabbing her numerous times in self-defence.
Olivier labelled the testimony “pure hogwash”.
Pleading for a lenient sentence, Saliwa told the court he had three minor children with the deceased, who were now staying with his mother, and that they would “seriously suffer” if he was sent to prison as he was their breadwinner.
He said he went to the house to look for his wife because she had left the children alone, saying “if it was not for the children, I would not have gone to that house and none of this would have happened”.
Handing down the sentence, Olivier said this was a serious offence and Saliwa had shown no remorse and taken no responsibility for his actions.
Saliwa was represented by attorney Mlibo Sonqela. — asandan@dispatch.co.za
15-year term for murder of wife
The 31-year old Lizwi Saliwa, a father of three small children, was sentenced yesterday to 15 years behind bars by regional magistrate Twanet Olivier for the murder of his estranged wife Nokubonga Saliwa early last year.
Enraged by Nokubonga having an affair while he was behind bars, he went to the boyfriend’s house in NU2 and stabbed his wife repeatedly.
Nokubonga died in a pool of blood on the afternoon of January 21 last year – her 29th birthday.
The stabbing took place in front of the boyfriend’s niece, who was a key state witness.
Saliwa was arrested the same day and has been in custody ever since. Nokubonga’s new partner was not home at the time of the slaying.
State prosecutor Thamsanqa Jack said the postmortem showed Nokubonga died of a stab wound to the chest. Saliwa argued self-defence, claiming she had thrown boiling water at him.
Delivering judgment, Olivier said the jilted husband had gone to the house of his wife’s boyfriend on that afternoon with the clear intention to kill her.
The court heard that when he knocked on the front door, the niece and Nokubonga opened for him. He went inside and demanded his wife leave with him.
She refused and a verbal exchange ensued.
The niece, in the dining room when Saliwa started stabbing his wife, ran and locked herself in the bedroom, screaming for help.
A neighbour, testifying as a state witness, told the court that he saw Saliwa going inside the house, and a few minutes later he saw him exiting through the back door with a bloodied knife in his hands.
“When the neighbour asked you why you had stabbed the young lady, you told her that there was no way you would pay lobola for someone to be your wife, and then that person ends up cheating and having a love affair with someone else,” said Olivier, claims which the defence had denied during trial.
Saliwa had claimed in his defence that his wife attacked him first with the knife and that they wrestled. The knife fell on the ground and he used his feet to block his wife from accessing it.
He told court that his wife threw boiling water at him, resulting in him stabbing her numerous times in self-defence.
Olivier labelled the testimony “pure hogwash”.
Pleading for a lenient sentence, Saliwa told the court he had three minor children with the deceased, who were now staying with his mother, and that they would “seriously suffer” if he was sent to prison as he was their breadwinner.
He said he went to the house to look for his wife because she had left the children alone, saying “if it was not for the children, I would not have gone to that house and none of this would have happened”.
Handing down the sentence, Olivier said this was a serious offence and Saliwa had shown no remorse and taken no responsibility for his actions.
Saliwa was represented by attorney Mlibo Sonqela. — asandan@dispatch.co.za
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