THE family of Tembisa nurse Lebo Monene is not happy with the sentence in the case of former police officer, Lucky Mudau.
Lucky shot and killed his girlfriend Lebo (30) at Tembisa Hospital on 9 February 2022 before turning the gun on himself.
On Thursday, 29 June, the High Court in Joburg sentenced him to 25 years of direct imprisonment for murder.
But his sentence was suspended for five years on the condition he is not convicted of a similar offence.
Lucky was diagnosed as a C5 quadriplegic, a spinal cord injury resulting in paralysis of the upper and lower body.
He is wheelchair-bound and unable to do anything, including turning in bed, bathing, feeding himself, and using the bathroom.
The Department of Correctional Services (DCS) cannot accommodate Lucky due to his conditionc.
The father of the slain nurse, Nicholas Monene, told Daily Sun they were disappointed and planned to appeal the sentence.
“We are disappointed as a family. We wanted him to go to jail. Maybe that would have made us feel better, even though we can't bring her back,” he said.
ALSO READ: Cut off my 4-5, give me a PUNANI!
DCS spokesman Singabakho Nxumalo said they have a role to contribute to a just and safer country through effective, humane incarceration, rehabilitation, and reintegration of offenders.
“A person unable to provide self-care would find a correctional environment undesirable as correctional facilities are designed for a different purpose, being rehabilitation,” he said.
But Mara Glennie, founder of the TEARS foundation, said this was a slap in the face of the family, stating that house arrest does not provide rehabilitation support services and poses a threat to the well-being of those living around the offender.
Despite Lucky being found guilty, Mara felt justice did not prevail and called out the justice system for failing South Africans and showing lenience and accommodation for perpetrators.
