The stepfather of former deputy sheriff Vusi Mncina, Lawrence Lukhele, has expressed that he was not shocked by the sentence handed down to his son by Judge Titus Mlangeni for the killing of four women and attempted murder on one woman. Lukhele stated that even a 300-year sentence would not have shocked him, given the severity of the crimes. Mncina was sentenced on Wednesday, following the shootings at Goje Township in Ezulwini on October 28, 2023.
According to Lukhele, he had anticipated a lengthy prison term from the beginning and would not have been surprised even by a substantially longer sentence. He described his stepson as a palpably dangerous person who had failed to control his anger when it mattered most. Lukhele revealed that he had visited his stepson in prison on several occasions but had failed to obtain an explanation that could help him understand what drove him to commit the crimes.
The case has attracted national attention because of the severity of the crimes and the lengthy prison sentence imposed. Judge Mlangeni described Mncina as a palpably dangerous person who had failed to control his anger when it mattered most. The sentencing details list 14 years for the attempted murder of Thuli Mkhwanazi, 29 years each for the murders of Nonhlanhla Thwala, Lungile Shongwe, and Fikile Shongwe, as well as 23 years for the murder of Mncina’s girlfriend, Cynthia Khulile Shongwe.
Lukhele narrated his relationship with his son, stating that it began when he married his mother, who already had another child besides Mncina, a daughter. He said he accepted both children as his own and took responsibility for raising them, despite not being their biological father. Lukhele described his relationship with his stepson as close, adding that he had always preferred to regard him simply as his son rather than emphasize the distinction between a biological child and a stepchild.
The elderly Lukhele has expressed that the family had been devastated by what happened, while the suffering of the victims’ relatives had made it even more difficult for him to find the words to explain his own feelings. He said the crimes had shocked him because Mncina had never displayed any kind of violent behavior even in his adult life. Lukhele recalled that his stepson had not given them serious problems while growing up, even after the death of his mother.
Lukhele maintained that the family had done its best to raise Mncina responsibly, although he acknowledged that children eventually make their own decisions as adults. He raised concerns that the public might judge them according to Mncina’s actions, assuming that the violence reflected the way he had been raised. Lukhele rejected that suggestion, saying the family had done everything to raise him well, including his children.
Although Lukhele accepted the court’s decision, he said the sentence could not erase the pain suffered by the victims’ families or provide the explanation he had sought. He expressed difficulty in approaching the victims’ families, not out of indifference, but because he remained troubled by the extent of their suffering and believed the families connected to Mncina needed to find a way to acknowledge it.
Key points
- - Vusi Mncina was sentenced for the killing of four women and attempted murder on one woman. - The sentence was handed down by Judge Titus Mlangeni. - Mncina's stepfather, Lawrence Lukhele, expressed that he was not shocked by the sentence.
