Sindisiwe Manqele has been sentenced to 12 years for the murder of her rapper boyfriend Nkululeko “Flabba” Habedi.
Manqele was found guilty of killing Flabba on March 9, 2015. She had pleaded not guilty and claimed she acted in self-defence.
“It is now my unpleasant task to sentence you … you are sentenced for a period of 12 years, you will not be granted parole until you serve eight years of the sentence.
“It is recommended to the department of correctional services that the programmes which are available to incarcerated persons, be provided,” acting Judge Solly Sithole said to a gasp from the public gallery.”
Acting Judge Solly Sithole told the High Court sitting in the Palm Ridge Magistrate’s Court as he delivered sentence on Thursday that Manqele exceeded the boundaries of self-defence when she stabbed the musician with a knife.
Sithole said a crime is a crime, and that murder “even smells to the nostrils of heaven”.
“You and the deceased were the only two persons who could tell us what happened that day, unfortunately the other person is not here to tell us, we heard from you as to what happened,” said Sithole.
“The fact of the matter is you took away the life of Habedi… you exceeded the boundaries of private defence and plunged that knife into his chest, the force you used broke his rib and penetrated his lung and as a result he died.”
Sithole added that Manqele was very traumatised after stabbing Habedi that he broke a bottle and cut her wrists in an attempt to commit suicide.
“When you take the life of another a person, it is a crime, whether it is a lover, an adult or a lover … when you do the crime you must be prepared to do the time … that is retribution and that is one of the reasons why the court has to punish persons such as you,” Sithole said.
The judge said that he could not determine whether Manqele was remorseful as her counsel Norman Makhubela did not call her up to testify during mitigation of sentence on Thursday.