Convicted Durban Metro Cop asks for a lesser sentence at Durban High Court
Image: Zimbili Vilakazi
The daughter of slain attorney Thandokuhle Mkhize has told the Durban High Court that the brutal killing of her mother by former Durban Metro Cop Qiniso Sishi has left her with persistent grief and severe anxiety.
In February, Sishi pleaded guilty to stabbing his wife six times following an argument. In his plea statement, he admitted to drinking four bottles of alcohol with friends at a tavern before returning to his Woodhaven home.
He stated that after his wife returned home with her daughter, an argument broke out, during which he suddenly fetched a kitchen knife and inflicted multiple stab wounds to her chest and abdomen.
Sishi confirmed he intended to kill his wife and that he blocked anyone who tried to intervene.
Aphiwe Mkhize, Sishi’s stepdaughter, testified about the devastating and enduring trauma she suffered, stemming from witnessing her mother lifeless on July 25, 2025. Mkhize recounted being unable to help her mother, as Sishi blocked her attempt to assist when she called her for help. “I continue to relive that moment in my life.”
She shared the horror of holding her mother’s hand in the car and pleading for her to wake up. “She did not respond. That moment is permanently etched into my memory. Even now it often feels unreal, as though I am trapped in a nightmare I cannot wake up from,” she said.
Slain attorney Thandokuhle Mkhize who was stabbed to death by her husband Qiniso Sishi.
Image: Facebook
During sentence proceedings, State prosecutor advocate Rakesh Singh argued in aggravation for a life sentence, asserting that it is the appropriate penalty for a former police constable who violated his oath to uphold the law.
“The murder was brutal; the deceased had been a victim of ongoing domestic abuse,” the prosecutor said.
Furthermore, Singh pointed out that Sishi never sought to fast-track the legal process to plead guilty. Expressing disappointment, Singh stated, “He is a cop who betrayed his oath to uphold the law,” and argued, “The accused’s actions were not impulsive but deliberate, warranting sentences that reflect his culpability and the gravity of his conduct.”
Conversely, Advocate Simphiwe Mlotshwa, representing Sishi, contended that substantial and compelling circumstances exist that warrant the court to impose a lesser sentence. For mitigation, he argued that his client had no previous convictions and he is a father to a 17-year-old girl.
Furthermore, Mlotshwa stated that while Sishi acknowledges the wrongfulness of his actions, his mental capacity was somewhat impaired. He argued that his client would not have committed the act had he not consumed alcohol on the day in question.
Mlotshwa urged the court to sentence Sishi to 15 years imprisonment, stating: “There is absolutely no premeditation or planning in this matter as everything happened quickly during the argument,” he said.
nomonde.zondi@inl.co.za