By REGINALD KANYANE
28 October 2026 – An accused, Vusumzi Ntsondolo (50) was sentenced to life imprisonment by the Mossel Bay Regional Court for murder of his former girlfriend, Nwabisa Baliso (43), and 15 years imprisonment for murder of his friend, Luvuyo Mgwevelana (45) whom he stabbed 16 times. During the trial, Ntsondolo pleaded guilty in terms of section 112(2) of the Criminal Procedure Act 51 of 1977. In his plea explanation, Ntsondolo told the court that on the evening of 7 November 2025, he and Mgwevelana were drinking at a local tavern when Baliso arrived and called Mgwevelana outside.
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) regional spokesperson in Western Cape, Eric Ntabazalila said Ntsondolo attempted to follow them, but Baliso stopped him. Ntabazalila said Mgwevelana later returned and told Ntsondolo to leave Baliso alone, claiming that she was now his girlfriend.
“This resulted in an argument between the two men. Ntsondolo subsequently left the tavern and went home. The following morning, 8 November 2025, Mgwevelana arrived at Ntsondolo’s home after earlier sending him a voicenote inviting him to the tavern. An altercation ensued and Ntsondolo grabbed a knife from a table and stabbed Mgwevelana once in the chest, leaving him lying inside the house.
“Still armed with the knife, Ntsondolo then went looking for Baliso. He found her after asking her daughter (16) to call her. When Baliso returned with her daughter, she noticed blood on Ntsondolo’s shirt and asked him about it.
Ntsondolo then repeatedly stabbed Baliso in the presence of her daughter, despite the teenager’s attempts to intervene,” he said.
Ntabazalila further said Ntsondolo fled the scene while being pursued by community members and entered a colleague’s house, where he stabbed himself three times in the chest. He added that after leaving the house, community members caught up with him and assaulted him.
“Ntsondolo subsequently fled towards the local police station, flagged down a police vehicle and was taken to hospital. He was later arrested and charged with the two murders. In aggravation of sentence, state prosecutor, Makhi Cutshe, argued that there were no substantial and compelling circumstances justifying a departure from the prescribed minimum sentence.
“Cutshe argued that Ntsondolo’s conduct was not simply an impulsive act committed in the heat of the moment. After killing Mgwevelana, he did not stop or reconsider his actions. Instead, he armed himself with the knife, pursued Baliso and murdered her,” said Ntabazalila.
He said the prosecution submitted that this sequential course of violence demonstrated a deliberate intention to kill both victims. Ntabazalila said the state further argued that Baliso’s murder was a brutal manifestation of intimate-partner violence, male entitlement and an inability to accept the end of a relationship.
“The prosecution emphasised that former partners are not possessions and that romantic rejection can never justify violence. Particularly aggravating was the fact that Ntsondolo murdered Baliso in the presence of her daughter (16), who attempted to save her mother.
“The state argued that the psychological trauma inflicted on a child who witnessed her mother’s brutal murder significantly increased Ntsondolo’s moral blameworthiness. The court agreed with the prosecution’s submissions and imposed the life sentence,” he said.
Ntabazalila said the court also declared Ntsondolo unfit to possess a firearm and informed the victims’ families of their right to make representations to the Commissioner of Correctional Services should he be considered for parole, day parole or correctional supervision.
Meanwhile, the Western Cape Director of Public Prosecutions, Advocate Adrian Mopp, welcomed the sentence and commended the investigating and prosecution teams, as well as all role players who contributed to securing justice for the victims and their families. Mopp said this sentence sends an unequivocal message that women are not the property of their partners or former partners.
“The end of a relationship, jealousy or rejection can never justify violence. The NPA will continue to vigorously prosecute perpetrators of gender-based violence and femicide and advocate for sentences that reflect the seriousness of these crimes,” he said.
