The police management in Mpumalanga are elated over a hefty sentence handed down to a man who killed his ex-girlfriend as well as two little girls. This unpalatable incident occurred at Grootvlei near Embalenhle in 2013. Buti Simon Mduduzi Dlamini became violent after receiving news that the abusive relationship he had subjected his 19-year-old then girlfriend, Xolisile Josephine Mokoena, has come to an end.
Dlamini did not accept the fact that their relationship was over but rather orchestrated an evil plan to pay revenge by wiping out her entire family. At the time, Xolisile was staying with her uncle at his house, together with her niece and her cousin.
The court heard that on 5 October 2013, Dlamini bought petrol which he stored in a portable container and waited for Xolisile’s family to go to sleep. On that sad day, a neighbour who was a minor came to sleep over as she would occasionally do whenever her mom was working night shift.
Dlamini then broke into the house at night, sprinkled petrol over his ex-girlfriend as well as over the two young girls (the niece and the neighbour) before setting them alight. He then torched the whole house and fled the scene. The uncle as well as the cousin were woken up by smoke and flames that engulfed the house.
They tried to rescue the three girls but Mbali Maria Mokoena, aged 14 and Mamokete Carolina Mofokeng, aged 11 could not make it, and meanwhile Xolisile was rescued, taken to Heidelberg hospital, later transferred to Chris Hani Baragwanath hospital where she unfortunately succumbed to her injuries.
The police were notified of the incident and a case was opened with three counts of murder, two attempted murder as well as arson. While conducting their investigation, police finally made a breakthrough when they sniffed Dlamini out of his hiding place and arrested him in September last year in the Free State Province. On 5 November 2020, Dlamini was convicted by the Court.
He was sentenced as follows:
Count 01 – murder, life imprisonment.
Count 02 – murder, life imprisonment.
Count 03 – murder, also life imprisonment.
Count 04 – attempted murder, eight (08) years imprisonment.
Count 05 – attempted murder, eight (08) years imprisonment.
Count 06 – arson, five (05) years imprisonment.
The accused was also found to be unfit to possess a firearm. When handing down the sentence, Judge Thando Mankge indicated that Count 4, 5 and 6 will run concurrently with the three life sentences.
The leadership of the police in the province has welcomed the sentence, indicating that it will bring closure to the families of victims. They (management) also praised the hard work displayed by the team of Detectives, the Prosecution as well as the Judiciary for working as a collaborative on this matter.
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