Mother of murdered NMU student wants life for killer

The mother of Zimkhitha Ntshiela, the Nelson Mandela University (NMU) student whose boyfriend, Luyanda Mahlanza, allegedly murdered her in her residence room, demands life behind bars for her daughter's killer.

- Jacqueline Herbst

Originally from Kokstad in KwaZulu-Natal, Ntshiela was a second-year tourism management student at the NMU George Campus when she was stabbed to death in her residence room on 6 June 2023.

Testifying in aggravation of sentence in the George Magistrate's Court on Wednesday 14 May, Pinky Matshoboza described the impact her firstborn child's death has had on the family.

Besides Ntshiela's two younger siblings - now aged 19 and 11 - having lost their big sister, her mother and father's health also took a knock. While Matshoboza has developed hypertension, her husband has since been diagnosed with diabetes and they are taking chronic medication.

"I feel hurt because my child is no longer here, but he [Mahlanza] is still here," Matshoboza said.

The accused's version

In Mahlanza's version, heard earlier in the trial, Ntshiela initiated the violent interaction that ended her life. Mahlanza claimed she had tried to stab him first. He said he disarmed her, but she somehow got hold of the knife again and once more tried to stab him. Mahlanza said he finally regained possession of the knife and stabbed Ntshiela.