Zim ‘cannibal’ handed 18 years in jail

CAPE TOWN – A Zimbabwean man convicted of killing a 62-year-old in Gugulethu and allegedly eating his heart has been sentenced to 18 years behind bars.

Andrew Chimboza was sentenced in the Western Cape High Court today.

As part of a plea agreement Chimboza pleaded guilty to killing Mbuyiselo Manona in June last year during a heated argument.

During his trial, three people testified that Chimboza had removed and eaten his victim’s heart, but there was no mention of this during sentencing.

Chimboza was cuffed and escorted to the holding cells immediately after he was sentenced.

Manona’s emotional family members packed the courtroom.

Judge Ashley Binns-Ward said the extreme brutality of the assault and the absence of remorse by Chimboza outweighed the mitigating factors in the case.

Binns-Ward added that Chimboza’s reaction to the provocation was grossly disproportionate.

The judge took into account that Chimboza had been behind bars since June and therefore handed down an 18-year jail sentence.

‘DECEASED HEART WAS EATEN’

In February, the arresting officer in the trial confirmed that the accused used a knife and fork to eat the deceased’s heart.

Chimboza fidgeted with a nervous look on his face as investigating officer Mlungisi Landule gave details of the gruesome crime scene.

Landule was the first police officer to arrive at the Gugulethu house on 10 June 2014.

Testifying in aggravation of sentence, Landule said upon entering one of the bedrooms, Chimboza was eating what appeared to be raw meat while a bloodied knife and fork were on the floor next to him.

He told the court Manona’s body was in the same room.

It appeared as if he had cuts to the side of his head and on his chest.

In his plea explanation, Chimboza said he killed Manona after the man attacked him in a jealous rage, accusing him of sleeping with his girlfriend.

TICKING TIME BOMB

During the trial, Chimboza was described as a ticking time bomb.

Testifying in aggravation of sentence, Major Hayden Knibbs of the police’s Investigative Psychology Unit said the accused came across as unpredictable and threatening.

Knibbs said Chimboza initially refused to accept responsibility for Manona’s murder and had shown little remorse for the killing.

The psychologist also told the court Chimboza had no history of mental illness and was of sound mind. Eye Witness News