A 35-year-old man has been sentenced to life imprisonment by the Ezakheni Regional Court for killing his six-year-old biological son in front of his mother following a heated argument with her in June last year.
Ayanda Snothi Zwane smashed his son’s head, who was sleeping at the time, against a rock after chasing his mother outside the yard.
According to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) KwaZulu-Natal regional spokesperson, Natasha Ramkisson-Kara, the child died due to a head fracture with severe brain injury.
Zwane was arrested following the incident.
She said State Prosecutor, Amelia Lieketseng Mphomane, led the evidence of the child’s mother, as she was an eyewitness.
Mphomane also called the photographer who documented the scene and the medical doctor who performed the post-mortem to testify.
“In aggravation of the sentence, Mphomane asked the court not to deviate from the prescribed minimum sentence of life imprisonment because Zwane’s actions had traumatised every member of the family,” Ramkisson-Kara added.
Additionally, Mphomane told the court that the family is grappling to understand why Zwane would commit such a heinous crime.
In addition to the life sentence, Zwane was declared unfit to possess a firearm.
Ramkisson-Kara said the NPA welcomes the conviction and sentence.
According to her, she hoped this outcome would bring some comfort and closure to the family of the victim.
In a separate incident, the Pinetown Regional Court earlier this month sentenced Sandile Shezi for strangling his son, Sfundo Sibisi, to death using a drawstring from the child’s shorts.
This is after he fought with Sfundo’s mother.
After killing his son, Shezi called the mother of his child and told her to come and collect the body before it was eaten by animals in the Shongweni area, in the bushes.
In this case, State Prosecutor Rowen Souls emphasised that parents have a fundamental duty to protect their children.
Additionally, Souls emphasised that such cases showed that children in South Africa were under attack and that they lived in fear.
“We remain steadfast in our commitment to uphold the rule of law and pursue justice without fear or favour. We will safeguard the rights and dignity of all members of society, especially children and other vulnerable groups,” Ramkisson-Kara said.
