Family says they've been left destitute since Sifiso Mkhwanazi murdered their mom
Speaking outside court, Nyarai Chihota's daughter, Pauline, said her mother was the breadwinner and they are now struggling to make ends meet.
Alleged sex worker serial killer Sifiso Mkhwanazi in the Palm Ridge Magistrates Court on 12 February 2024. Picture: Katlego Jiyane/Eyewitness News
JOHANNESBURG - The family of Nyarai Chihota, one of the six victims in Sifiso Mkhwanazi’s 2022 murder spree, says it's been left destitute since her brutal death.
Mkhwanazi was sentenced to life imprisonment and is expected to return to the Johannesburg High Court to review his sentence in 30 years' time.
Mkhwanazi confessed to shooting Chihota in the head at close range with his father’s pistol, then hiding her body in a black trolley bin at his father’s panelbeating workshop.
She was the first of his six victims.
When Mkhwanazi was arrested, police found her cell phone in his possession, a crucial piece of evidence that secured the maximum sentence for his horrific crimes.
READ MORE: Court brands serial rapist Sifiso Mkhwanazi as arrogant and a danger to society
Speaking outside the court, an emotional Pauline Chihota, Nyarai’s eldest daughter, described how her mother’s death had shattered their lives.
“You can see the way I am. I’m very skinny. Things are not well. I’m raising my siblings. I’m the first child, but I can’t even take care of them. My younger sister isn’t going to school, I can’t feed them, and we’re all living in one room.”
The Chihota family welcomed the life sentence, saying Mkhwanazi deserved to rot in prison.