Student Found Guilty Of Killing Colleague Over Who Should Greet Who

A student at the Durban University of Technology, South Africa, has been found guilty of the murder of another student.

On Thursday, the Durban Regional Court found Melusi Khoza, now 23 years old, guilty of killing Sifundo Mhlongo in 2021.

Mhlongo was fatally murdered on January 7, 2021, at a student apartment on Yusuf Dadoo Street in Durban. Police reported that Mhlongo died immediately after being stabbed in the neck.

Captain Nqobile Gwala, a spokesperson for the provincial police, verified that the attacker was a fellow student at the same university. He spent two months eluding the police before being apprehended in Isipingo, south of Durban.

Khoza, who has been detained as an inmate awaiting trial since his arrest and gave up his bail request, denies any wrongdoing.

Khoza claims that it was Mhlongo who strangled him first and that he stabbed him in self-defense. He testified before the court that he had intended to stab his hand but was astonished to stab his neck instead.

Shenaaz Hoosen, the state’s attorney, countered that Khoza had planned to murder the victim.

“According to State witnesses, there was no provocation on the part of the deceased, and the accused and deceased were arguing about who should have greeted who. It was Khoza who had approached the deceased and stabbed him,” Hoosen said.

Khoza’s testimony was completely disregarded by Magistrate Shoba Maharaj in her ruling, who cited it as being unquestionably untrue.

Pre-sentence reports were required, thus the case was postponed until September.