NATIONAL NEWS - The 25-year-old man accused of killing his girlfriend, Nosicelo Mtebeni, a student at the University of Fort Hare, has pleaded guilty to her murder.
Pleads guilty
The murder trial against Alutha Pasile began in the East London High Court on Monday, where he also pleaded guilty to defeating the ends of justice in front of Judge Michelle Beneke.
During the proceedings, the state said it sought an increased prison sentence for Pasile.
“The minimum sentence for murder is 15 years imprisonment. However, I have notified the court and the defence that in the events of a conviction, the state will request an increased sentence,” advocate Nickie Turner, for the state, said.
Mtebeni’s body parts were found in a suitcase in East London, Eastern Cape, in August this year.
The 23-year-old’s upper body was found stuffed inside a luggage bag on the corner of Fitzpatrick Street and Fleet Street in the Quigney area.
The victim’s head and hands were allegedly found in Pasile’s possession inside a room in a 10-room commune house.
Pasile and Mtebeni shared the house with other tenants.
The accused then subsequently confessed to killing his girlfriend following his arrest on 20 August.
Mtebeni’s murder came under the shadow of the two-year anniversary of Uyinene Mrwetyana’s murder.
Mrwetyana, who was a student at the University of Cape Town (UCT), was raped and killed inside a Post Office in Claremont, Cape Town, by teller, Luyanda Botha, on 24 August 2019.
