The sentencing of Sibusiso Zitha to 15 years in prison for the murder of celebrated pastry chef Thembekile Letlape has sparked concern and outrage. Despite Zitha’s guilty plea and remorse, many – including Letlape’s father, ActionSA MP Dr Kgosi Letlape – view the sentence as a grave failure of justice, symbolising the broader systemic issues in South Africa’s fight against gender-based violence.
“We are shocked, we are disappointed. Effectively he has walked and she got no justice, her life was not worth it. That’s what women mean in this country. We didn’t get justice today, our child is not coming back and we now have to deal with being failed by the justice system.
These were the words of ActionSA MP Dr Kgosi Letlape, speaking to journalists at the Johannesburg High Court on Friday, 19 September.
Letlape was referring to the sentencing verdict for Sibusiso Zitha, who pleaded guilty to the murder of his daughter, celebrated pastry chef Thembekile Letlape. The case has gripped the nation, bringing to light the tragic consequences of intimate-partner violence and the urgent need for justice in South Africa’s fight against gender-based violence.
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Nearly 16 months after she was stabbed to death, her former partner, Zitha, who pleaded guilty to her murder, was sentenced to 15 years in prison. Judge Shanaaz Mia said the gravity of the harm was amplified as Letlape was in an intimate relationship and was killed in her home which she ought to have felt safe in.
“The incidents of gender based violence as this matter characterises is on the increase. It has…
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