In a chilling case that has shaken the community, a KwaZulu-Natal father has been sentenced to 18 years in prison for the brutal murder of his girlfriend’s 3-year-old son. Londa Emmanuel Mabaso, a 31-year-old unemployed father of five, pleaded guilty to the crime in a Section 105A plea and sentence agreement before the Pietermaritzburg High Court.
The horrific incident occurred on April 16th, 2024, near the town of Wembezi in Estcourt. According to Mabaso’s admission of guilt, he had been in a relationship with the victim’s mother, Mbali Manyoni, and they shared an 18-month-old child together.
On the day of the murder, Manyoni had left both children in Mabaso’s care while she visited her parents. When she failed to return home, Mabaso attempted to contact her on a neighbour’s cellphone. However, another man answered the call and told him not to contact Manyoni again.
“This angered me, and I believed that Manyoni was being unfaithful,” Mabaso stated in his guilty plea. “I also suspected that she was involved in a secret relationship with Melokuhle’s biological father.”
After consuming alcohol, Mabaso retrieved both children from his mother’s home around 8 pm that night. He prepared a bed on the floor for 3-year-old Melokuhle, while the 18-month-old slept in his bed. Unable to sleep due to his suspicions about Manyoni, Mabaso made the horrific decision to strangle the young boy while he was sleeping.
“I remained awake, and the next morning, I told my parents what I had done,” Mabaso said. “The police were then summoned, and I was arrested.”
In a heartbreaking statement, Mabaso expressed his remorse and apology to the victim’s family and the entire community for the “pain and grief” his actions had caused.
The 18-year sentence handed down to Mabaso serves as a stark reminder of the urgent need to address the scourge of domestic violence and child abuse plaguing communities across South Africa.
