The man who beat his long-term girlfriend to death and dismembered parts of her body with an angle grinder has been sentenced to 15 years' direct imprisonment by the Benoni Magistrate's Court.

Kagiso Thobela, 29, from Geluksdal, Ekurhuleni pleaded guilty to the murder in March of Nomthandazo Polo. In his affidavit which was read by his lawyer to the court, he shared the details of how Nomthandazo died.

He said he was fighting with his girlfriend and she was fighting back. To restrain her he strangled her until she stopped breathing.

He performed CPR on her and poured water on her in an attempt to resuscitate her but she didn't respond.

When he realised that she was dead, he panicked and tried to cut off her body parts in a bid to later dispose of them.

He later called his friends and family, admitting that he killed her and saying he was going to commit suicide.

Speaking to Scrolla.Africa, the deceased's mother, Senzeni Polo, said though justice has been served, it is not enough.

"The 15 years he is going to serve in prison is not enough punishment for the pain he put my daughter through until she succumbed to her injuries," she said.

"Throughout the trial he never showed any remorse. He asked to see me for the first time last week. But I believe he did it to get a lighter sentence."

The mother added that her daughter was trapped in an abusive relationship for years, and when she found out that Kagiso had made another woman pregnant with twins, she decided to end the relationship.

"He refused to move out of their rented house and assaulted her so badly that she could barely talk and walk. I feared that one day he would kill my daughter until he carried out his threats," she said.