Mpumalanga Man Sentenced to Life for the Murder of a 14-Year-Old

• A man who shot and killed a minor on a farm in Nkomazi, Mpumalanga, has been handed a life sentence
• Sarel Petrus Du Plessis was found guilty of the murder of 14-year-old Bhekimuzi Ziko at a farm in Kamhlushwa
• The Acting Provincial Commissioner of the SAPS in Mpumalanga has welcomed the hefty sentence

Zingisa Chirwa is an experienced Briefly News journalist based in Johannesburg, South Africa, who covered Mpumalanga crime stories and current affairs on the radio for over 15 years.

A man found guilty of the brutal murder of 14-year-old Bhekimuzi Ziko in Nkomazi has been sentenced to life behind bars.

Kamhlushwa man found guilty of murder

Sarel Petrus Du Plessis shot and killed Ziko at a farm in Kamhlushwa on 5 December 2018. Mpumalanga's SAPS said the 53-year-old, who had bene a security guard at the time, allegedly also tried to kill those who were with Ziko at the time of the murder; however, they managed to escape.

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Du Plessis, who was arrested three days after the murder, was found guilty on 20 June 2023. The police's Colonel, Donald Mdhluli, told Briefly News that the convicted man stayed behind bars until the Mpumalanga Division of the High Court sitting in Middelburg handed down his sentence on 25 June 2024.

In addition to his life sentence, Du Plessis was also handed 10 years for each of the three counts of attempted murder, five years for the possession of an unlicensed firearm and three years for the possession of unlicensed ammunition. The sentences would run concurrently.

Mpumalanga police welcome the sentence

The Acting Provincial Commissioner of the SAPS in Mpumalanga, Major General Zeph Mkhwanazi, welcomed the sentence and hoped it would deter others from committing similar crimes:

“The subject regarding firearms is a concern to us because these weapons are often used in the commission of violent crimes. We hope that this sentence will somehow bring closure to the victim's family."

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Mpumalanga police offer R20,000 reward for missing 6-year-old Junior Mabandla

Briefly News previously reported that Mpumalanga police were offering a reward of R20,000 for information about Junior Mabandla's disappearance.

The six-year-old was last spotted leaving his parents' home in Pienaar near Mbombela on 3 June 2024.

The province's SAPS has requested that anyone with information about the missing child inform the police.

Source: Briefly News