Durban — The only surviving child of an elderly couple shot and killed execution-style along with their daughter, two grandchildren, and a 17-year-old relative said his cousin convicted of the murders deserved to live the rest of his life behind bars.

Nunu Sigampu said this outside the Pietermaritzburg High Court on Thursday where Judge Kate Pillay found Sthembile Nkosinathi Mthimkhulu guilty of the 2021 murders of elderly couple Octavia, 65, and Christopher Khumalo, 77, their daughter, Mbali Khumalo, 37, and her son Thabo Khumalo,10, and their relatives 17-year-old Nothile Sphelele Khumalo and eight-year-old Elihle Sigampu.

Elihle’s sister who was nine at the time escaped death by hiding behind a curtain in the children’s room.

She was the State’s star witness whose evidence sealed the fate of the killer who had pleaded not guilty and has been in custody since his arrest in 2021 after being refused bail in the eShowe Magistrate’s Court.

Mbali Khumalo was shot and killed along with her elderly parents, her child, nephew and a 17-year-old relative. The six were shot by the nephew of Mbali's father. | Supplied

The little girl while hiding saw him unmask himself on the well-lit passage of the family’s home before he took them into her grandmother’s room killing them all after questioning each about the death of his father Bheki.

“I am happy that the court found him guilty, justice is all we ever wanted. I am also happy that God designed it so that there would be a witness to the murders because (he) would have been content being among us as we searched for my family’s killer,” said Sigampu.

He described the elderly couple as humble, loving, and family-orientated.

“He deserves a lengthy sentence for what he did. He shot my parents last, he wanted them to see the others being killed. They were each shot once in the head but my sister Mbali also had other gunshot wounds to the chest,” said Sigampu.

During the trial, the court heard evidence from a traditional healer that Mthimkhulu visited after the murders.

He confessed to the crime and said that his uncle killed his parents.

In judgment, Pillay found that Mthimkhulu planned the murders and fabricated an alibi to align his car tracker report.

“I find this was a premeditated crime given the conversation the accused had with deceased family members and the fact that he came armed and the manner in which he killed them suggests he went there for one reason and that was to kill them.”

Christopher’s nephew Mfanafuthi Ngcobo described his relationship with the killer prior to the murders as brotherly.

“Even though Khumalo (Christopher) was our uncle, he was like our father. The issue of Bheki’s death was discussed with him present. We talked about how Khumalo would never kill Bheki because he too was like his son. The conversation was sparked by him (Mthimkhulu) he suspected that Khumalo had something to do with Bheki’s murder, we dispelled this in this conversation.”

Getting emotional, Ngcobo said that in December 2020, Christopher had been at his home and told him he was concerned that Mthimkhulu was planning to do something to him.

“I brushed it off and I assured him that we had spoken about the matter with Mthimkhulu, and he would not do anything. Looking back I blame myself, if I had done something maybe they would still be alive.”

Christopher and Octavia had lived in uMlazi and at retirement moved back home where they rebuilt the family home and started farming the land.

The family suspected that farming could also be at the heart of the murders as Mthimkhulu’s mother had previously asked why Christopher was not getting their children to share the profits.

Mthimkhulu’s father died in 2019 after being attacked while returning from a tavern, and was found the next morning.

“If it were possible I’d say he gets the death sentence because he is an animal and even the people he will be in jail with are not safe,” said Ngcobo.

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