- The man found guilty of the murder of Wits student, Asithandile "Kwasa" Zozo has been jailed for 20 years.
- Viwe Rulumeni admitted that he choked and stabbed Zozo to death and pleaded guilty to her murder.
- Zozo's family members believe he should have been sentenced to life behind bars.
Disappointed family members of murdered Wits student, Asithandile "Kwasa" Zozo say her murderer should have been sent to jail to rot there for the rest of his life.
The Butterworth Regional Court sentenced Viwe Rulumeni, 22, on Wednesday after he pleaded guilty to her murder and admitted that he choked and stabbed her to death on 17 August 2020.
Zozo's relatives feel that a harsher sentence should have been imposed.
Zozo's father, Mlungisi Zozo, said:
However, he said his family would accept the court's decision because nothing could ever bring back his daughter.
"There are some families that are still waiting for justice to be served, which makes me grateful that he was sentenced," he added.
National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Luxolo Tyali said Rulumeni committed the murder in full view of several people, including the deceased's minor siblings.
"In his plea explanation, Rulumeni admitted that Zozo, who was then 19, had ended their romantic relationship and he did not want to accept that," said Tyali.
"On the day of the incident, he went to Zozo’s home in Dutywa because she was ignoring his attempts to talk to her," he added.
Rulumeni then forcefully took Zozo to an open field where he stabbed her several times until the knife broke.
After killing her, he consumed a poisonous substance in an attempt to commit suicide but he recovered in hospital.
The NPA added that in a social worker's pre-sentence report, it emerged that Rulumeni claimed he had been abandoned while growing up.
"The report also revealed that he was motivated by jealousy when he committed the offence because Zozo had progressed to university, while his life seemed to have stagnated after passing matric."
According to Tyali, advocate Bakhe Mtukushe submitted, in aggravation of the sentence, a victim impact statement that court preparation manager Sindisiwe Buthelezi prepared.
"The statement explained the trauma that the father and the siblings of the deceased suffered following her murder."
The prosecutor also presented the evidence of Zozo's mother and that of her cousin, who attended the same university as her.
Eastern Cape Director of Public Prosecutions in the Mthatha Region, Barry Madolo, applauded the investigation and prosecution teams for the short turnaround time it took to finalise the case.
"We will continue to strive for swift justice without compromising prosecutions, more especially in our priority crimes, such as femicide," added Madolo.