Cape Town – A Limpopo man has been sentenced to life imprisonment by the High Court in Thohoyandou after shooting and killing his wife during a church service last year.
The case shocked the local community and highlighted ongoing concerns about gender-based violence in South Africa.
The court this week convicted Avhapfani Eric Mundalamo, 55, for the murder of his 43-year-old wife, Patience Funanani Mbedzi, in what police described as an “abhorrent and callous” attack inside a church at Makonde Village on 30 March 2024.
According to Limpopo provincial police spokesperson Colonel Malesela Ledwaba, Mundalamo entered the church armed with a firearm while congregants were worshipping and shot Mbedzi.
Man to spend life in jail for killing his wife inside the church
A man who left the community in shock after he killed his wife inside the church was sentenced to life imprisonment.
Mundalamo Avhapfani Eric from Sidou Village in Thohoyandou in Limpopo was sentenced to life… pic.twitter.com/G4i3pKmYyf
— MDN NEWS (@MDNnewss) December 11, 2025
“He callously fired multiple shots at the victim, resulting in her untimely death,” Ledwaba said during earlier reporting on the incident, as reported by IOL.
After the shooting, Mundalamo fled the scene in a silver-grey Toyota Corolla but later handed himself over to police on 1 April 2024, the day after the killing. He was formally charged with murder and his case made its way through the court system over nearly two years.
This week’s ruling went further than just sentencing. The court also declared Mundalamo unfit to possess a firearm in future, closing any possibility of future legal gun ownership. Police in the province welcomed both the sentence and the firearm ruling as an affirmation of justice.
THOHOYANDOU: The Thohoyandou High Court has convicted and sentenced a 55-year-old male, Mundalamo Avhapfani Eric from Sidou Village, to life imprisonment on Wednesday, 10 December 2025.
The court heard that on Saturday, 30 March 2024, the accused followed his wife to a church… pic.twitter.com/1PIPbkYmNw
— The Instigator (@Am_Blujay) December 11, 2025
According to Limpopo Mirror, Mbedzi was well-known in her community, serving as a worship leader and choir figure in the church, and her death left congregants and residents reeling.
Earlier court hearings had drawn emotional reactions; when Mundalamo was denied bail, family members reacted strongly in court, with one relative shouting, “Go to where you belong, wife killer,” reflecting deep outrage over the killing of a woman inside a place of worship.
The tragedy occurred amid broader national concern about violence against women. At the time of Mundalamo’s arrest in 2024, police minister Bheki Cele condemned the murder, saying domestic violence could not be ruled out and affirming the urgency of law enforcement to address such crimes.
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Compiled by Lisabeal Nqamqhele
