A Mpumalanga man, who shot and killed his wife's suspected boyfriend “in a fit of anger” after finding them at a lodge, has been sentenced to 12 years in prison.

Abednigo Mbuyane, 39, who shot and killed Thamsanqa Nkosi, 34, in April 2023, was sentenced at the Mpumalanga High Court on Tuesday.

Judge Johannes Roloefse handed him an additional five years for housebreaking but ordered that the sentences run concurrently, meaning Mbuyane will serve an effective 12 years behind bars.

In handing down the sentence, Roloefse said Mbuyane, who had pleaded guilty, had maintained he did not mean to kill Nkosi; all he wanted to do was confront his wife.

He also said the court considered that Mbuyane had been in custody since his arrest and had been refused bail three times.

During the trial last week, Mbuyane asked for forgiveness in court.

Mbuyane and Nkosi were traffic officers.

In his evidence last week, Mbuyane, who had suspected that his wife was cheating, said he had tracked her car to a lodge on that fateful day, parked outside one of the rooms.

“I phoned and I heard the phone ringing. I stood at the door and knocked. She said she was coming, but she didn’t open. That’s when I broke the door and went inside. I found her with the deceased [Nkosi], who stopped me before I could confront my wife.

“That’s when we fought, and when I felt overpowered, I withdrew my firearm and shot him twice,” Mbuyane said.

Mbuyane was also declared unfit to possess a firearm.

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