South African Man Sentenced to Life Imprisonment for Murd£r of Girlfriend

A South African man, Innocent Sthembiso Maseko, has been sentenced to life imprisonment after being found guilty of k£ll£ng his girlfriend during a vi£lent domestic dispute.

The development was confirmed by Monica Nyuswa, a spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority, in a statement released on Friday, March 13, 2026.

According to Nyuswa, the court heard that Maseko and his girlfriend, identified as Ngubeni, were in a domestic relationship and living together at the time of the incident.

The tragic event occurred on August 20, 2024, when the couple reportedly began arguing in their bedroom. The argument later escalated into a physical confrontation.

During the altercation, the court heard that Maseko poured petrol on Ngubeni and set her on fire.

Despite suffering severe burn injuries, Ngubeni managed to escape from the room and ran down the passage of the house while calling for help.

Her cries alerted a friend who had been sleeping in another room at the time.

The friend quickly rushed to assist and was able to put out the flames by pouring water over her.

Ngubeni was then rushed to the hospital for medical treatment. However, she later died from her injuries a week after the incident.

The case was reported to the police, leading to Maseko’s arrest and subsequent prosecution.

During the trial, Maseko pleaded not guilty and claimed that he was not present when Ngubeni caught fire.

However, prosecutors presented evidence from several witnesses, including testimony from Ngubeni’s friend who described what she witnessed during the incident.

The prosecution also relied on a statement made by the victim before her death.

After reviewing the evidence, the court found the State’s witnesses credible and rejected Maseko’s version of events.

While delivering the judgment, the presiding judge stated that the courts have a responsibility to send a strong message that such acts of violence will not be tolerated.

The court concluded that there were no substantial or compelling circumstances to justify a reduced sentence and therefore imposed life imprisonment.

In addition to the life sentence, Maseko was declared unfit to possess a firearm, and his application for leave to appeal was also dismissed.