Victim's family tear into DJ Donald
Dolly Tshabalala’s family lambasted convicted murderer Donald Sebolai, labelling him a liar who deserved a lengthy sentence.
|||Johannesburg - Emotions once again ran high during the sentencing of convicted murderer Donald Sebolai in the high court sitting in Palm Ridge on Thursday.
This time, however, it was the family of the victim, Dolly Tshabalala, who were seated in the front row of the public gallery, who struggled to hold back their tears. They vented their frustrations at the former Jozi FM DJ as he sat in the dock.
Sebolai - known as “DJ Donald Duck” - was convicted last year of the murder of his 32-year-old girlfriend.
The court had heard during the murder trial that Tshabalala was stabbed to death during an argument in Sebolai’s Soweto flat in June 2014. She was stabbed several times in the lower abdomen and died as a result of severe blood loss.
On Wednesday, a shackled Sebolai wailed as he testified, telling the court that he never intended to kill his lover and that she died during the fight for the knife.
But Tshabalala’s relatives were not convinced.
On Thursday, they lambasted him while the court was adjourned, labelling him a liar who deserved a lengthy prison sentence.
The court heard from social worker Simphumele Mbatha, who said Tshabalala’s death had a detrimental effect on her family.
Her young daughter, in a bid to deal with the loss, penned her emotions in a letter addressed to her late mother. In the letter, she wrote about how much she missed her.
Mbatha said Tshabalala’s mother was also struggling to deal with her daughter’s death.
Sentencing will resume on Thursday.
karishma.dipa@inl.co.za
The Star