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Court room gavel and a book.
The guilty verdict against a man who shot dead his wife outside Lebowakgomo Hospital in Limpopo in 2024 has been welcomed by her family, community members and the Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa (Denosa).
Fifty-eight-year-old Fannie Seribishane gunned down Mumsy Seribishane as she was about to report for duty at the hospital.
Her husband violated a protection order that had been granted to her against him.
She had also filed for divorce a year before she was killed.
Judge Karin Pillay says that evidence presented by a ballistic expert at the Polokwane High Court is reliable.
The murder has once again drawn attention to the ongoing crisis of gender-based violence (GBV), which was declared a national disaster in December 2025.
Seribishane was found guilty of the murder and violation of the protection order among other charges.
Mumsy’s family expressed relief that justice has been served. They want Seribishane to be sentenced to life imprisonment.
Sister of the deceased, Lucy Manailana, says: “We are relieved even though we will never see Mumsy again in this world. But we are relieved by coming here every day even though the accused was lying. We as the Thobejane family, we would like to see the accused going to jail for the rest of his life. His family should feel the pain that we have felt as well.”
Denosa says losing a nurse is a tragedy for the health care community.
Representative Molokomme Mokwele says: “It was very bad for us as Denosa because we lost a soldier, someone who was looking after patients and willing to do the best she can. As I’ve said, she was on her way to work when she met her death. We are not happy about it. We don’t even want to to see something like that again.”
Community members made a clarion call to violence perpetrated against women and children.
Seribishane will be sentenced at the Polokwane High court on the 15th of April.
