Ex-deputy sheriff sentenced to 124 years for murder
Judge Titus Mlangeni condemned Vusi Charles Mncina's ease in shooting five unarmed women, four fatally.
Former Deputy Sheriff Vusi Charles Mncina received a 124-year prison sentence yesterday for murdering four women and attempting to kill a fifth. The killings occurred at Goje Township, Ezulwini, on October 28, 2023. Judge Titus Mlangeni noted Mncina targeted defenceless women after avoiding two men at the same gathering.
Judge Mlangeni stated that Mncina easily pulled the trigger on the unarmed women who pleaded for mercy. He emphasized the need for general deterrence against violent crime, calling victory against it a "forlorn hope" without it. The judge acknowledged the case had rattled the country due to the number of victims and the circumstances of their deaths.
The judge observed that Mncina, a first offender, committed five serious offences in a single incident, permanently scarring the victims' families and society. He described the killings, which included three members of the same family, as an example of extreme callousness. The case highlights the diminishing value of life amid persistent violent crime in Eswatini.
Why it mattersFour women were murdered and a fifth seriously injured, leaving their families devastated and society shaken by the violent crime.