Former NMU student to spend life behind bars for murder

CAPE TOWN - A former Nelson Mandela University student from the George satellite campus has been sentenced to life in prison for stabbing a fellow student to death on campus.

Luyanda Mahlanza was charged with the murder of his girlfriend, Zimkhitha Ntshisela, on campus in 2023.

Mahlanza stabbed the 20-year-old woman to death and claimed self-defence.

However, the George Regional Court agreed with the State that Mahlanza was a violent aggressor who showed no remorse for his crimes.

"In court, the accused claimed the deceased accused him of cheating and she grabbed a knife to stab him, but he disarmed her and became enraged and stabbed her. The State proved the self-defence claim as false and led a convincing case against the accused, which led to his conviction and sentence," said the Western Cape’s National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson, Eric Ntabazalila.