The 16 Days of Activism for No Violence against Women and Children ended on a high note for some when Khanyile “Zama” Ramba was sentenced to life imprisonment two years after bludgeoning his girlfriend to death with a hammer.
Sinathi Mangqazana’s gruesome murder on 11 September 2021 made headlines and had the community of Zwelihle up in arms. A large crowd marched to Hermanus Magistrates’ Court, when Ramba made his first court appearance, to demand he not be released on bail.
The protesters later broke down Ramba’s house in Marikana informal settlement, where Sinathi’s body had been discovered. They said they did not want him to return to the area should he be released on bail. It was also revealed Ramba had assaulted Sinathi on previous occasions.
Although Ramba also faced charges of malicious damage to property and rape, he was found not guilty on these charges due to lack of evidence.
The court heard Ramba had hit Sinathi multiple times with a hammer and did not show any remorse for the brutal killing.
“The accused left her for dead inside his shack until the next morning and did nothing to assist the deceased,” said state prosecutor Harold Engelbrecht. He expressed his satisfaction with the life sentence, saying it should serve as a stern warning to perpetrators of GBV, especially in Zwelihle where abuse of women and children is rife.
“This sentence sends a loud and clear message that the abuse and murder of women and children will not be tolerated and perpetrators will face the full might and wrath of the law.”
Col Nicolas Steyn, head of the Hermanus police’s detective services, lauded the investigating officer WO Ruehan van Romburg’s hard work that helped secure the heavy sentence. “It is always satisfying when a life sentence is handed down for murder, especially pre-meditated murder,” he said.
