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JUSTICE: Four men were jailed for the murder of Zoliswa Nkonyana in 2006

FOUR MEN found guilty of killing a 19-year-old woman because of her sexuality, were each sentenced to 18 years behind bars, it has been reported.

The court heard that Lubabalo Ntlabathi, Sicelo Mase, Luyanda Londzi and Mbulelo Damba stabbed Zoliswa Nkonyana to death in 2006 because of their deeply-rooted homophobic views.

"They did not accept responsibility for what they did and we are happy that when we asked for a lengthy jail term, the magistrate agreed to that," Nkonyana's stepfather Mandini told the Sowetan newspaper.

The teen was stoned and stabbed nine times a few yards from her home in Cape Town, South Africa.

The magistrate said the motive for the killing was hatred and homophobia, a move the Triangle Project, a non-governmental organisation that fights for the rights of gay and lesbian people in a Cape Town township, welcomed.

"The magistrate has named hate and intolerance on the basis of sexual hate and intolerance on the basis of sexual orientation as an aggravating factor in sentencing- this is the first time that has happened in a criminal trial in South Africa. It has therefore set a precedent," Jill Henderson told the BBC's Focus on Africa.

South Africa is the only African country where same-sex marriage is allowed, however homophobia is still widespread.