- A 38-year-old man has been sentenced to life imprisonment for murdering his girlfriend after forcibly removing her from a social gathering in Bushbuckridge.
- The Mpumalanga High Court rejected the accused’s version and accepted strong circumstantial evidence, including proof of prior abuse and a post-mortem confirming suffocation.
- The court found no substantial or compelling circumstances to justify a lesser sentence and declared the accused unfit to possess a firearm.
The Mpumalanga High Court has sentenced Mikah Shalamuka Willy Sithole to life imprisonment for the murder of his girlfriend, Nicolene Morgan, in a case that once again highlights the devastating human cost of domestic violence in South Africa.
The sentence was handed down on Monday, 15 December 2025, after the court found that the killing was brutal, unlawful, and entirely unjustified.
Sithole and Morgan were in a domestic relationship and lived together at the time of the incident. On the evening of 21 December 2024, Morgan attended a social gathering at Cork Trust in Bushbuckridge with her sister. According to the National Prosecuting Authority, Sithole arrived at the venue and found the sisters consuming alcohol, an encounter that quickly escalated into a violent confrontation.
Mpumalanga NPA spokesperson Monica Nyuswa said Sithole demanded that Morgan leave the venue with him, claiming he needed to collect his belongings from her home. When she refused, an argument broke out. “Sithole forcibly removed Morgan from the venue and assaulted her while escorting her away,” Nyuswa said. “He diverted their route to his place of residence, where Morgan was later killed.”
Murder, arrest and forensic findings
Events took a darker turn in the early hours of the following morning. On 22 December 2024, Sithole asked his brother-in-law to seek assistance so that Morgan could be taken to hospital. However, while the brother-in-law was away, Sithole killed her and fled the scene. Morgan was later discovered with visible injuries on her body, prompting the matter to be reported to the police.
Investigations led to Sithole’s arrest a few days later. Despite pleading not guilty, he was convicted on the basis of strong circumstantial evidence. State Advocate Fedile Tsotetsi led testimony from several witnesses, including evidence pointing to a history of abuse within the relationship. The post-mortem report confirmed that Morgan died as a result of suffocation caused by external pressure to the neck.
Court rejects accused’s version
Nyuswa confirmed that the court rejected Sithole’s version of events in its entirety and accepted the State’s case. In addressing sentence, Tsotetsi argued that the seriousness of the offence, the manner in which it was committed, and the accused’s lack of remorse warranted the most severe punishment permitted by law. He emphasised the ongoing crisis of domestic violence and femicide in South Africa, describing the murder as a stark example of gender-based brutality.
Victim impact statements compiled by Morgan’s mother and siblings, with the assistance of Court Preparation Officer Nomfundo Mokoena, laid bare the profound emotional trauma suffered by the family. The court was told that the loss had left lasting psychological scars and had permanently altered the family’s sense of safety and stability.
After considering all the evidence, the Mpumalanga High Court found that there were no substantial or compelling circumstances to justify a departure from the prescribed minimum sentence. Sithole was accordingly sentenced to life imprisonment for murder and was declared unfit to possess a firearm.
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