'Her life mattered': Family welcomes life sentence

Update

MOSSEL BAY NEWS - The family of Nwabiso Baliso (45), who was killed by her then boyfriend Vusumzi Ntsodolo (50) last November, have welcomed the life sentence and the additional 15 years the Mossel Bay Regional Court handed down to him on Monday 26 October.

Ntsodolo killed Luvuyo Mgwelana (43), whom he claimed was his best friend, and Baliso on the morning of 8 November.

He was sentenced to 15 years' imprisonment for Mgwelana and life imprisonment for Baliso, to run concurrently. He was also declared unfit to possess a firearm.

Although Mgwelana's family was not present during the sentencing, Baliso's son, Lindokuhle, daughter, Esihle, sister, Babalwa Beyi, and niece, Qhamisa Beyi, were.

"On behalf of the Baliso and Beyi families, we welcome the life sentence handed down to Vusumzi, the person responsible for the brutal murder of our beloved Nwabisa Baliso," said Babalwa.

"While we are relieved that justice has finally been served, no sentence will ever bring Nwabisa back to us. We have lost a beloved daughter, sister and mother, and her children have been robbed of the opportunity to be with their mother, and to continue experiencing their mother's love and guidance."

Babalwa said while the judgment brings the family some sense of closure, the pain of losing Nwabisa is something they will carry for the rest of their lives.

"We hope this sentence sends a strong message that gender-based violence has no place in our society, communities and South Africa as a whole, and that those responsible must be held accountable ... We are grateful that justice has prevailed, but we would give anything to have Nwabisa back with us.

"Nwabisa was deeply loved, her life mattered, and her memory will forever live on in our hearts," she said.

Mgwelana's family apparently live in the Eastern Cape, and the court's attempts to make contact with them were unsuccessful.

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