Man who stabbed a guest at a Khwenxurha ceremony gets 15 years
Bongani Mbali was declared unfit to own a firearm after the KuGompo Regional Court convicted him of killing Sikhumbuzo Mfiki at a traditional ceremony in Soto location.
The KuGompo Regional Court has sentenced a 46-year-old man to 15 years of direct imprisonment for stabbing a guest to death at a traditional ceremony in Khwenxurha, in the Eastern Cape.
Bongani Mbali was convicted this month of killing Sikhumbuzo Mfiki, 34, during an altercation at Soto location. The court also declared him unfit to possess a firearm in terms of Section 103 of the Firearms Control Act 60 of 2000, the South African Police Service said in a statement.
The court heard that on Saturday, 8 March 2025, Mbali confronted Mfiki and a group of friends who were socialising at a homestead hosting a traditional ceremony. Agitated by their laughter, he drew a knife and stabbed Mfiki fatally. He fled the scene immediately afterwards.
He was later tracked down and apprehended at a hideout in Ndevana, outside Qonce.
Brigadier Zinikele Freddie, the Acting Amathole District Commissioner, welcomed the sentence and praised the investigating officer, Detective Sergeant Dunjwa, who tracked the suspect to the hideout within days of the incident.
“This sentence will serve as a lesson to people who have a propensity for violence when under the influence of alcohol,” Brigadier Freddie said. “Being drunk does not diminish a person’s legal or moral responsibility for reckless, violent actions.”
The statement does not record whether Mbali was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the stabbing, and it does not say whether he has indicated an intention to appeal. This report is based on the police statement, which is a summary of the case rather than the full court record.
Source: South African Police Service (SAPS), Khwenxurha murder accused sentenced to 15 years jail term
