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Zwelethu Mthethwa sentenced to 18 years for murder

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Members of the Sex Workers Education & Advocacy Taskforce waiting outside the Western Cape High Court for the sentencing of Zwelethu Mthethwa on May 24 2017. Picture: Twitter/@SweatTweets
Members of the Sex Workers Education & Advocacy Taskforce waiting outside the Western Cape High Court for the sentencing of Zwelethu Mthethwa on May 24 2017. Picture: Twitter/@SweatTweets

Renowned Cape Town artist Zwelethu Mthethwa has been sentenced to 18 years in prison for the murder of 23-year-old sex worker Nokuphila Kumalo.

The Western Cape High Court handed down the sentence on Wednesday.

Mthethwa was found guilty of murder in March this year after evidence gathered showed him assaulting Kumalo.

Judge Patricia Goliath accepted crucial CCTV footage that captured Mthethwa kicking and beating Kumalo in the early hours of April 14 2013 in Ravenscraig Road, Woodstock.

“The killing of women will not be tolerated. The killing of sex workers in particular will not be tolerated,” Judge Golaith said.

Members of the Sex Workers Education & Advocacy Taskforce (Sweat) and Sisonke National Movement of Sex Workers in South Africa welcomed the sentencing handed to Mthethwa, saying it “acknowledges that a human being died that night never mind what profession she chose to be in”.

“While we celebrate that today saw the rare success of the criminal justice system and conviction of the perpetrator, there are still an inordinate amount of cases that will never see the inside of the court,” said Ishtar Lakhani, advocacy and human rights defence manager at Sweat.

“We are all aware of how the criminal justice fails women on a daily basis and that justice can no longer be found at our courts.

“However, we are mindful that the conviction and sentencing of Mthethwa is a victory for Nokuphila’s family and friends and we hope that this marks a shift in our courts taking the lives of sex workers more seriously” Lakhani added.

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