Artist Zwelethu Mthethwa gets 18 years in jail for brutally kicking sex worker to death
Cape Town - Artist Zwelethu Mthethwa was on Wednesday sentenced to 18 years in jail for killing sex worker Nokuphila Kumalo in 2013.
"The accused's standing as an international acclaimed artist does not earn him a special sentence," said Western Cape High Court Judge Patricia Goliath.
"The courts need to send a clear message to tackle gender-based violence. The killing of women in general will not be tolerated. The killing of sex workers in particular will not be tolerated."
She rejected suggestions by defence experts that he should be given a non-custodial sentence.
Mthethwa, 57, dressed in a dark suit and with a freshly sprouted beard since his conviction, did not show any emotion as the sentence was handed down.