Regional Court Magistrate Bongani Ndlovu sentenced Mabote Daniel Sydney Kangumu to an effective jail term of eight years after Kangumu had pleaded guilty to a charge of murder on Thursday last week.

With Kangumu having already spent close to three and a half years in custody before his trial was finalised, the eight-year jail term may eventually mean that a fatal knife stabbing that he was involved in in mid-2003 could cost him up to eleven years of his freedom.

Kangumu was 19 years old when he killed a friend, Malumo Sililo, by stabbing him in the chest on July 16 2003.

The incident happened at Maunga, a village in the Caprivi Region.

Long delays in getting legal aid counsel instructed to represent Kangumu at his trial prevented the trial from starting earlier.

When it finally began last week, Kangumu pleaded guilty to a count of murder.

His explanation for the killing was that he found that his radio was missing from his house when he returned home after he had been looking after cattle in the veld.

When he went to Sililo and confronted him about this, an argument broke out which prompted Kangumu to return home, fetch a traditional knife, and go back to where Sililo was.

He then stabbed Sililo in the chest, killing him.

Magistrate Ndlovu sentenced Kangumu to 13 years' imprisonment, of which five years were suspended for a period of five years on condition that he is not convicted of murder or culpable homicide during the period of suspension.

Defence lawyer Thomas Appolus represented Kangumu during the trial.

Public Prosecutor Pieter Smit appeared for the State.

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