A 19-year-old man has been sentenced to 30 years' imprisonment for the murder of his 17-year-old girlfriend after she declined to meet him on Valentine's Day.
The Regional Court in Vryheid handed down the sentence to Asanda Fakude on Tuesday after he pleaded guilty to the murder.
The court heard that Fakude became angry when his girlfriend did not accept his Valentine's Day invitation. A few days later, he confronted her at Gegund Farm near Vryheid, where he repeatedly assaulted her until she died.
After killing the teenager, Fakude hid her body in nearby bushes in an attempt to conceal the crime.
KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson Paul Magwaza said Fakude later confessed to the murder by contacting the commander of the Paulpietersburg SAPS detective unit two days after the incident.
"He was immediately arrested and later conducted a formal pointing out, leading police to the location where he had hidden the deceased's body," Magwaza said.
He added that Fakude was subsequently charged with murder and pleaded guilty in court to killing his girlfriend.
The 30-year prison sentence brings the case to a close, with the court imposing a lengthy term of imprisonment for the brutal killing of the teenager.