A MPUMALANGA man who brutally murdered the mother of his child and dumped her body in bushes has been sentenced to 35 years behind bars.
Provincial Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Semakaleng Daphney Manamela welcomed the sentence handed down to a 35-year-old man who murdered the mother of his son, aged 32, at Marite near Bushbuckridge in 2020.
The accused was convicted and sentenced by the Mpumalanga Division of the High Court sitting at Graskop on Tuesday.
Police spokesperson Selvy Mohlala said the court heard that the man robbed the victim of her personal belongings and killed her, then concealed her body in bushes on September 3, 2020, around 8pm.
“The accused then went into hiding and never informed anyone of his deeds. Meanwhile, the family of the woman was worried sick that she never returned home. They reported her as a missing person at Calcutta Police Station on September 4, 2020.
“Police began trying to find her. Sadly, in the early hours of the morning, a day after she was reported missing, her lifeless body was discovered in the bushes by a passer-by.
“Police at Calcutta were alerted, and upon arrival, they uncovered that she had deep stab wounds on her throat,” Mohlala said.
A manhunt for the suspect was launched.
“The investigation team worked tirelessly to trace her assailant and made a breakthrough when they sniffed him out of his hiding place at Eighteenburg near Thulamahashe in Bushbuckridge on September 7, 2020.
“The accused was found in possession of some items belonging to the deceased, which included her Identity Document, cell phone, retail cards, as well as her work permit, as it was during Lockdown Level 5. The accused was then arrested and charged for murder, robbery and defeating the ends of justice.”
On the count of murder, the accused was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment, while on the count of robbery, he was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment. On the count of defeating the ends of justice, he received five years.
The court further ordered that the count of robbery run concurrently with the count of defeating the ends of justice. The accused was also found to be unfit to possess a firearm.
Manamela praised the team of investigators, the prosecution team as well as the Judiciary for the sentence handed down to the accused.
"Perpetrators of Gender-Based-Violence should know that there is no room for their evil deeds in society. We hope that this sentence serves as a deterrence to those who might consider emulating their actions," Manamela said.
Cape Times