Father gets two life terms for giving his two sons poisoned water

A father in South Africa has been sentenced to two life sentences by The Pretoria High Court this week after he killed his two sons aged 11 and 12 by giving them poisoned water, this publication has learnt.

Local publication, IOL reports that the National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson in Pretoria, Lumka Mahanjana, said Brits resident Dannyboy Fistos Khumalo gave his sons the poisoned water last year.

Mahanjana said the boys stayed with their parents and the couple were going through domestic issues.

“Their mother, Sinah Mosiea, left the boys with their father in Vaalkop and went to see her parents in Krugersdorp. On May 14, she received a voice note of her boys crying and later a video of Khumalo mixing a liquid substance. He demanded she return home or he would kill the boys,” Mahanjana said.

The next day, the boys were found dead in bed. Mahanjana said Khumalo told police and his boss that the boys had ingested rat poison, mistaking it for sweets.

He was swiftly arrested after he went to identify the bodies of the brothers and he confessed to killing them.

“Owing to Mosiea’s inability to take the witness stand, the court preparation officer, Amokelani Mashele, read out her victim impact statement. Mosiea was further referred for grief counselling,” Mahanjana said.

She said advocate Dorah Ngobeni asked the court to impose the minimum prescribed sentence.

She said it was unfortunate and very heartbreaking that innocent children became parents’ surrogates.

“She opposed the application for leave to appeal brought by Khumalo in court and Acting Judge George Avvokoumides dismissed the application,” Mahanjana said.

Khumalo was also given three years for defeating the ends of justice. The court ordered the sentences to run concurrently