Former DA PR Councilor sentenced to four life imprisonment for family murder

(The Post News)- A former Democratic Alliance PR Councilor Michael Buthelezi was handed a four terms of life imprisonment for killing his partner and children. The Ladysmith Regional Court sentenced Buthelezi 15 years imprisonment for two counts of defeating ends of justice and arson.

In the early hours of 29 October 2023, Bethany residents woke up to a ragging fire of the Buthelezi’s household, killing his partner and children, with only the Councilor making it out with minor injuries.

Accouding to police reports Buthelezi had initially misled the police about the fire, he claimed that his fighting of corruption was what led to the incident, he later changed his statement to claiming his partner’s ex-boyfriend throwing a bomb inside the house, further investigations resulted to his arrest.

One of the witnesses, a relative told the court that Buthelezi and his partner shared a violent relationship and that two weeks prior the incident Buthelezi had threatened to kill his partner by burning her. A statement by Buthelezi’s partner’s father was presented in the statement the father said “He and his family were hurt and traumatized by the incident,” He continued to saying that the stress had adversely affected his life.

National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson in KwaZulu-Natal Natasha Ramkisson-Kara hailed the sentencing.

“The NPA welcomes the successful finalisation of this matter as it underscores our unwavering commitment to ensuring justice for victims of gender-based violence and serious crimes. We commend the prosecution team and law enforcement for their relentless pursuit of justice and we hope this outcome brings some comfort and closure to the families of the victims.” She said

KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Commander Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi praised the investigation team for uncovering the truth and discrediting the claims of the murder being politically motivated.

He said ” It takes dedication and paying attention to every detail to detect untruths from purported victims and we applaud our investigators for digging out facts and present strong evidence before the court. It is our aim to solve every murder case and sentences of this nature are the expected reward for cases well investigated.”