Ndivhuwo Christopher Mphaphuli (24) of Muduluni village in the Kutama area will spend the next 20 years behind bars.

His murder case was finalized in the Thohoyandou High Court last Friday.

The case relates to an incident that took place at Muduluni village during the night of 22 April this year.

The court heard that, during the incident, Mphaphuli was in the company of the deceased, Rodney Ramabulana, at a local tavern. An argument ensued between the two. The centre of the argument could not be established. During the argument, the accused produced a panga and stabbed the deceased in the chest. He died on the spot.

The court also heard that the accused ran wild after the incident, shouting the words "I killed a dog". The accused was arrested the following day.

Before passing judgment, Judge Godfrey Hetisani described Mphaphuli as a dangerous community member. He said that the only sentence that will probably deter him from further involvement in brutal murders will be 20 years in jail. The judge also ordered that the accused should only be considered for parole after spending 15 uninterrupted years in jail.

He revealed that his decision was influenced by the fact that the accused had numerous previous convictions. The accused was sentenced to 1 000 hours in jail for assault with the intent to do grievous bodily harm in 2002. He was again sentenced to six months in jail for a similar offence in the same year.

The year 2004 saw him being sentenced to 12 months behind bars for assault. He was again sentenced to 18 months in jail for house breaking with the intent to steal and theft in 2004.

Adv RJ Makhera was prosecuting in the case while Mr A Madzhuta represented the accused.