The Supreme Court of Appeal on Friday reduced a Limpopo man's 45-year imprisonment sentence — for shooting his wife — to eight years.

The Venda High Court, sitting in Thohoyandou, sentenced Mmbengwa Nesane for the murder of his estranged wife, Cecilia Elelwani Nesane.

In convicting Nesane, who did not testify, the trial court relied mainly on two letters he wrote after the incident.

In the letters he described the shooting of his wife as accidental.

He tried to commit suicide afterwards.

The evidence was circumstantial and there were no eyewitnesses.

The Supreme Court of Appeal upheld Nesane's appeal on the grounds that the court could not draw any inferences that would counter his version.

The court held that under the circumstances it could only find negligent shooting as there was no evidence which showed that Nesane intended directly or otherwise to kill the woman.

The Supreme Court of Appeal substituted the murder conviction with that of culpable homicide and sentenced Nesane to eight years imprisonment from January 2001.

He was also declared unfit to possess a firearm.

Sapa