Just in: Popular Eastern Cape man sentenced to life for brutal axe murder
A 40-year-old man who brutally attacked his girlfriend and her family with an axe, resulting in one death and multiple critical injuries, has been sentenced to life in jail for murder.
Mboneleleli Ntantiso appeared in the Maloti Regional Court this week, where the sentence was handed down.
Sentence
He was also sentenced to an effective 45 years for three counts of attempted murder, and 10 years for assault with intent to do cause grievous bodily harm.
The South African Police Service (SAPS) in the Eastern Cape has welcomed the heavy sentence handed down to Ntantiso.
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Axe murder
During the trial, the court heard that on 19 May 2025, Ntantiso fatally attacked his girlfriend with an axe at her residence in the Eastern Cape.
“Ntantiso then proceeded to attack five other family members, including her siblings, with the same weapon, inflicting life-threatening injuries. Following the attack, Ntantiso fled the scene, leaving the victim’s lifeless body behind,” said Eastern Cape police spokesperson Brigadier Nobuntu Gantana.
“A multidisciplinary manhunt was immediately launched under the direction of the District Commissioner of Alfred Nzo, Major General Nompumelelo Majikijela.
“The operation brought together members from Crime Intelligence, Matatiele and Maloti Visible Policing (Vispol) Detectives, and the Maloti K9 unit. The collaborative effort led to the suspect’s arrest in under a week.”
Court
Gantana said the case was initially enrolled at the Matatiele Magistrate’s Court before being transferred to the Maloti Regional Court, where Ntantiso was found guilty on all charges on 20 March 2026.
“The investigating officer, Warrant Officer Mazibuko, was commended for his meticulous work in securing a conviction. The Station Commander of Matatiele Detectives, Lieutenant Colonel Thafeni, also played a pivotal role in overseeing the investigation.”
The Eastern Cape Saps reiterates its commitment to removing violent criminals from communities and ensuring that “perpetrators of gender-based violence face the full might of the law.”
