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'Bloody bastard'

Alfred Matshila. Pic. UNKNOWN
Alfred Matshila. Pic. UNKNOWN

Ntwaagae Seleka

Ntwaagae Seleka

An outraged woman yesterday shouted abuses at a man who had just been sentenced to 12 years imprisonment by the Vereeniging circuit court for beating his wife to death.

Judge Winston Msimeki had just passed sentence on Alfred Matshila, 42, pictured when the woman shouted that the convict did not deserve the sentence he just received.

"You don't deserve the sentence you got, you bloody bastard".

Matshila had earlier this week pleaded guilty to killing his wife, Sonto Duma, 38.

Msimeki convicted Matshila for culpable homicide and not for murder, as charged.

Matshila killed Duma by assaulting her with fists and kicking her at their home on November 15 last year at Wielersfarm, in the Vaal. She died the next day.

Matshila said he killed his wife because she was a drunkard and was cheating on him with another man.

He told the court that on he had found Duma sitting on the floor, drunk. He kicked and punched her in the face for a few minutes. Duma fell on the back of her head. He left her there and went to sleep.

Msimeki said: "You seemed to blame the deceased for your unlawful conduct. You could have left her alone or divorced her".

The judge said Matshila took away the life of the mother of his four children.

Duma's aunt, Alta Duma, 62, said she was disappointed the sentence was too lenient.

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