A 43-year old high-ranking member of the Department of Labour in South Africa, David Linley Sonkosi, has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for murdering his wife over a test message. Sonkosi was found guilty of beating his wife Pumta Mkatali, a teacher to death in their home in May last two years. He hit his wife’s head and body repeatedly against the floor before hitting her with a thick leather belt.
Sonkosi said, the assault on his wife was a result of an SMS that she received very late at night. She did not want to say who sent it or what it was about. He said he became suspicious because the two usually had no secrets from one another. He later called her sister who then confirmed that his wife has been having an affair with another man. Sonkosi added that he became furious because he had trusted his wife.
