A Family Erased: Eswatini Man Gets Four Life Terms for Murdering Mom & Three Kids

An Eswatini national will spend the rest of his life in prison for the horrific 2023 killing of a woman and her three children in Mpumalanga. Africa Thembinkosi Shongwe, 57, was sentenced to four life imprisonment terms by the Breyten High Court sitting in Mbombela on Thursday after pleading guilty to the brutal murders.

Shongwe, the biological father of one of the murdered minors, admitted to killing the woman, her twin boys, and her daughter on 25 February 2023 at their home in Phola Park near Mbombela. He also pleaded guilty to contravening the Immigration Act.

A Neighbour’s Alarm Uncovers the Horror

The tragedy came to light when concerned neighbours noticed the mother had not taken her children to school as usual. Upon checking, they found the house locked from the inside, with flies at the windows, blood visible on the floor, and part of a child’s body seen through the window.

Police forced entry and discovered the four victims, all bearing severe head injuries inflicted by a sharp object. “The deceased persons were identified, and among them were three minor children – twin boys and one girl – as well as an adult female who was the mother of the children,” said provincial police spokesperson Captain Mpho Nonyane-Mpe.

Swift Justice After a Guilty Plea

Shongwe pleaded guilty to all charges on Monday, leading to a swift sentencing hearing. In addition to the life terms, the court declared him unfit to possess a firearm.

Acting Mpumalanga Police Commissioner, Major General Zeph Mkhwanazi, welcomed the sentence, praising investigators, prosecutors, and the judiciary. He also thanked the vigilant community members whose alertness prompted the initial police response.

The sentence closes a legal chapter on a crime that devastated a community, but for those left behind, the memory of a mother and three children brutally slain in their own home will linger far longer than the court proceedings.