Pretoria – The Pretoria High Court has sentenced 47-year-old Pamela Ncumisa Selani from Olievenhoutbosch to three life terms for the murder of two of her lovers and drug addict adult son.
The triple murder accused was earlier convicted of killing her two lovers Micheal Changisa and a man only named as “Gift from Malawi”, and her son, Avile Jonjwana.
During sentencing, Selani was given an additional five years imprisonment for defeating the administration of justice.
During the trial, the court heard that in 2016 Selani and her then-partner Micheal Changisa argued after she discovered that he had infected her with a chronic disease.
Weeks later after the argument, Selani asked her second boyfriend Gift who lived in the same area to help her kill her partner Changisa.
One night, Gift went to the house Selani shared with Changisa and hid in the bathroom.
After Changisa, fell asleep, Gift snuck out of the bathroom and repeatedly hit Changisa, with a hammer on his head in the presence of Selani’s two minor children.
After the attack, Gift left Changisa in the bedroom, where he died.
Selani and Gift buried the deceased in her yard.
Gift then moved in with Selani, who was still staying in the house she shared with her murdered boyfriend.
In 2017 while staying together Selani, conspired with her 17-year-old son Avile to kill Gift because he was abusing her.
The two then poisoned Gift and submerged his head in water until he drowned.
Afterward, mother and son buried Gift in the same grave as Changisa.
Gift was buried on top of Changisa.
Avile, who was also addicted to drugs, started demanding money from his mother and threatened to report her to the police.
One night, Avile chased his mother and his younger sibling out of the house, they then went to stay at her new boyfriend’s house in the same area.
The following night they all returned to the house and hid in the yard.
When Avile arrived home, he went straight to bed and soon fell asleep.
Selani sent her minor son to sneak into the house and open the locked door from inside.
After she gained entry Selani used a hammer to repeatedly strike the sleeping Avile on the head until he died.
She buried him on top of her two dead lovers.
On 4 August 2020, Selani took her 14-year-old son to a traditional healer because he was not well.
During the consultation with the healer, the 14-year-old told the healer about the killings.
The healer then called a community leader under the pretence that he was calling another healer for assistance.
When the community leader arrived, the son narrated the story to the community leader who reported the matter to the police.
On the same day, Selani and her son were arrested.
The charges against the son were later withdrawn and he became a state witness.
In court, Selani pleaded not guilty to the charges preferred against and pleaded not guilty.
However, the state was able to prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt.
During the sentencing proceedings, through her legal representative, Selani asked the court not to impose the prescribed minimum sentence because she was a first-time offender and that Chagisa had infected her with a life-threatening disease.
She feared she would find herself having health complications for the rest of her life.
Furthermore, she experienced abuse from the man in her life which pushed her into a corner and resulted in her acting in the manner that she did.
However, state prosecutor, and advocate Eric Sihlangu, argued that Selani showed no remorse for her actions as she still maintained her innocence even after being convicted.
He added that Selani was convicted of serious offences, which were prevalent in the country.
Advocate Sihlangu asked the court not to deviate from the prescribed minimum sentence and instead consider the outcry of society regarding Gender-Based Violence.
Advocate Sihlangu asked the court to impose a sentence that would send a message to the community and deter other citizens from committing similar offences.
When handing down the sentence, Judge Papi Masopa agreed with the state, that Selani showed no remorse.
Furthermore, judge Masopa said he is of the view that Selani is an evil person who killed her two lovers and child.
“It is by mercy that the 14-year-old was not killed,” Judge Masopa said.
The judge said he found no substantial and compelling circumstances to deviate from imposing the prescribed minimum sentences.
He further said he hopes the sentence imposed will make Selani a better person who will respect people’s lives.
“The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) welcomes the sentence and wants to send a message that it can never be over-emphasised how important human life is,”
said the spokesperson, Lumka Mahanjana.
“Therefore, the NPA will be vigorous in our pursuit of these cases to serve as a deterrent to would-be murderers.”
The Director of Public Prosecution Advocate Sibongile Mzinyani applauded the work of the prosecutor and investigating officer Sergeant Abednego Boloi that led to the conviction and sentencing.
