A South African man in Eastern Cape has been sentenced to life and 10 years imprisonment for murdering his ex-girlfriend and attempting to kill her boyfriend.

Masonwabe Njarha was sentenced in the Peddie Regional Court this week.

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) said that the deceased, Hombakazi Gaga, ended her relationship with the 32-year-old in September 2017 and soon thereafter entered into a new relationship.

Njarha then started calling and sending Gaga messages threatening to kill her, prompting her to report the situation to the police.

The last threatening message was sent in January 2018 shortly before the accused stormed the deceased’s home and shot her in the head and chest.

Her boyfriend was shot in the leg.

NPA spokesperson Anelisa Ngcakani: “The State submitted that these crimes were not only gruesome but also heinous and that there was no reasonable circumstances for the court to deviate from the minimum prescribed sentence of life imprisonment.”