The Durban High Court in KwaZulu Natal sentenced a man to life imprisonment for murdering his wife. Bhekukwanda Cele killed his wife Nwabisa Joy-Grace Mgandela (31) in their home in June 2020 in the Ndwedwe area, KZN.

KZN NPA spokesperson Natasha Remisson-Kara said that the marriage between Cele and Mgandela deteriorated and that weeks before the murder, Cele left their home and

lived elsewhere. "Mgandela remained in the house with their children. then on the night of the incident, Cele returned to the house with unknown men. The men assaulted Mgandela and strangled her with a rope," Kara said. She added that Cele and his accomplices moved his wife to the bathroom and placed her in the bathtub with one end of the ligature around her neck and the other tied to a rafter above the bathtub. "She died as a result of the injuries sustained. Cele then left with the men and was arrested the following day," she said.

State Advocate Gugu Xulu maintained that at all times during the incident, Cele and his companions acted in the execution of a common purpose. To this effect, Xulu led eyewitness testimonies. She also presented the court with Victim Impact Statements compiled by Mgandela's family members and facilitated by court preparation officer Thandeka Nadi Mofokeng. "They said that the incident had changed their lives and it is too painful to live without their mother. They also said that they are now fearful of their father. Nwabisa's mother said she trusted Cele to care for her daughter and grandchildren. She said she is still traumatised by the incident and misses her daughter."