SHARON NEVES MURDER: BOYFRIEND SENTENCED TO 25 YEARS

MBABANE - When Judge Maxine Langwenya pronounced Zwelibanzi Simelane’s 25-year sentence yesterday, it was too much for his sister.

She could not wait until Judge Langwenya completed the sentence, ‘I sentence the accused to 25 years imprisonment without an option of a fine’, and she let out a loud cry and ran out of the courtroom. Judge Langwenya continued to read the rest of the judgment. Sharon’s relatives hugged each other after the pronouncement of the sentence. The sentence comes after the court convicted Simelane on August 16, 2024 for the murder of Sharon Neves, who was employed by the National Emergency Response Council on HIV/AIDS (NERCHA) in Nhlangano. She was killed in her rented flat at Nkhanini in Nhlangano on February 8, 2022 by her lover, Simelane. Judge Langwenya said there is a need to declare gender-based violence (GBV) a national disaster. This call has been made in other sectors previously.

According to Judge Langwenya, Simelane’s case was clearly one of GBV. The community, according to the judge, deserves to live in a better world than this. “A world in which a woman can speak her mind to her romantic partner without fear of being murdered; a world in which a woman’s life is valued by all and her fate is not in the hands of a man who crept into her life guised as a romantic partner; one who will one day decide when her time on earth is over and that she should die.

Destiny

“A world in which a woman can determine her own destiny and put her fate in the hands of the Creator according to her beliefs. “Sadly, that world remains a dream and far-fetched as long as cruel and heartless murderers like the accused (Simelane) are still free to roam the streets and mingle with other unsuspecting human beings. “On face value, such murderers look like other human beings, because they show no signs of the inhumanity they harbour in their appearances. Society demands that when such murderers are unmasked, they should be removed from society for a long time and be allowed to rejoin society when the element of humanity has been restored in their characters,” said Judge Langwenya.

The judge cited a previous case, in which the court said ‘domestic violence has become a scourge in our society and should not be treated lightly’. “It has to be deplored and also severely punished. Hardly a day passes without a report in the media of a woman or a child being beaten, raped or even killed in this country. Many women and children live in constant fear for their lives. This is in some respects a negation of many of their fundamental rights such as equality, human dignity and bodily integrity.” Judge Langwenya said she could not agree more with the sentiments expressed by the court in the quoted judgment. She said in the country, hardly a day passes without reports in the news about incidents of domestic violence and GBV in Eswatini. The judge said the courts must play their roles in fighting the scourge of GBV and domestic violence by meting out appropriate sentences to perpetrators.

Violent

The assault by the accused on Neves, according to the judge, was savage and violent. The judge said Neves was unarmed when she was assaulted with a pickaxe handle repeatedly all over her body, which was an aggravating factor. “The deceased died in the hands of someone who professes to love her. If the accused loved the deceased, he would have much rather protected her than subject her to the brutal assault and death. “Ms Neves feared for her life as she was heard by Mr Mabuza, their neighbour, apologising to the accused during the incident. She had earlier intimated to friends that she did not want to sleep at her house that night because of issues between herself and the accused. “She was unhappy with the accused using her car that day,” said the judge.

Offender

Despite the accused being a first offender, said the court, his personal circumstances and interests ‘simply do not measure up to the gravity of the crime committed and the interests of society’. “In the circumstances of this case, reformation as an objective of punishment becomes a less consideration.” The court went on to sentence Simelane to 25 years without an option of a fine. The sentence was backdated to February 9, 2022 - the date Simelane was taken into police custody. Simelane was represented by Mlindi Mthethwa. However, Sandile Shabangu joined the matter at the sentencing stage. The Crown, on the other hand, was represented by Principal Crown Counsel Thabo Dlamini and Mandla Dlamini.

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