KUGOMPO CITY- A 30-year-old man has been sentenced to life imprisonment for murdering a man he suspected had slept with his girlfriend in Fort Grey, KuGompo City.
The KuGompo Regional Court sentenced Sibusiso Dolongo on Wednesday for the murder of Siphenathi Gqonono, following an incident on 12th March 2025.
According to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) in the province, Dolongo’s girlfriend had spent the night at Gqonono’s home after going out to a local tavern three days before the murder.
When she returned home the following morning, Dolongo told her he had heard at a taxi rank that she had slept with Gqonono.
The NPA said Dolongo interrogated and assaulted his girlfriend over the following three days despite her denying the allegation.
On the night of the murder, Dolongo allegedly armed himself with an unknown weapon and ordered his girlfriend to take him to Gqonono’s home because he did not know where it was.
When they arrived, he instructed her to knock on the door and call Gqonono. Gqonono came outside and Dolongo stabbed him eight times before fleeing, according to evidence presented in court.
Gqonono’s sister found him outside the house, bleeding heavily.
Before he died, Gqonono told his sister that he had opened the door for Dolongo’s girlfriend before he was attacked.
Police investigations subsequently led officers to Dolongo’s girlfriend and then to his arrest. During the trial, Regional Court Prosecutor Thokozani Ndzama led evidence from Dolongo’s girlfriend, her sister and Gqonono’s sister.
Dolongo denied being at the scene and raised an alibi defence.
He also called another girlfriend as a witness. However, during cross-examination by the State, the woman changed her version and told the court she had been coerced and threatened by Dolongo.
She said she had not been with him on the night of the murder.
The court accepted the material aspects of the State’s case and rejected Dolongo’s alibi.
In aggravation of sentence, the State submitted a victim impact statement from Gqonono’s sister, prepared with the assistance of Court Preparation Officer Maki Mengi, detailing the impact of his death on the family.
The court found that the manner in which Gqonono was killed demonstrated premeditation and that there were no compelling and substantial circumstances to justify a departure from the prescribed minimum sentence.
Eastern Cape Director of Public Prosecutions Advocate Samkelo Mtwana welcomed the sentence and commended those involved in the prosecution.
“This sentence sends a clear message that those who commit violent crimes and show complete disregard for human life will face the full might of the law,” Mtwana said.
The NPA said it remained committed to prosecuting violent offenders and pursuing sentences that reflect the seriousness of crimes, protect communities and uphold the interests of justice.
Courtesy of IMAGE: NPA
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