A former Mpumalanga police officer in South Africa who murdered his wife and then shot himself has been sentenced to life in prison. Mugiyo Ulrich Mabunda, 44, shot his wife on May 14, 2020, at their home in Stonehenge, Mbombela, and was sentenced on Friday in the Mpumalanga High Court in Mbombela.
According to Brigadier Selvy Mohlala, a police spokesperson, Mabunda arrived home from work and wanted to speak with his wife. Mabunda later shot his wife and attempted suicide.
“The police, as well as medical personnel, were summoned [to the scene], and the woman was unfortunately declared dead by the paramedics, while the husband was taken to hospital under police guard,” said Mohlala.
Following his recovery, Mabunda was detained. When the case was brought before a judge, “the State established a strong case against him; as a result, he was found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment for murder.”
After his conviction, the court [in his absence] revoked his bail and instructed the accused to turn himself in to the police. He was therefore sentenced while in detention.
Tebogo Dikeledi Auspicious Mabunda, Mabunda’s wife, was a quantity surveyor for Mpumalanga Disaster Management and was 39 years old.