Durban - The family of SANDF member Private Nomathemba Ngeleka who was killed by her boyfriend, Private Elias Mogaki, also an SANDF member, is disappointed that he was not given life imprisonment.
Mogaki was sentenced to 20 years by a military judge in June. His bid to overturn the sentence earlier this week failed.
“We are very saddened with the light sentence meted out to Mogaki. Justice has not prevailed,” said her younger brother, Nkosi.
“We were of the view that a life sentence would be in accordance with the pain he caused our family.
“It also led to the untimely death of our mother, who died a depressed woman, caused by anxiety.’’
The couple was deployed in the conflict zone of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) last year in October when Ngeleka, 27, was apparently shot 17 times by Mogaki.
Both officers belonged to 5 South African Infantry Battalion in Ladysmith, KwaZulu-Natal, and were deployed as part of the Force Intervention Brigade - a peacekeeping operation in the DRC in 2008.
“Private Mogaki tried to commit suicide immediately after the shooting incident and was transferred to South Africa for medical treatment. On his recovery, he was charged with murder,” said spokesperson Brigadier-General Mafi Mgobozi.
Mogaki’s father said what his son had done was atrocious and he deserved punishment, but the 20-year sentence was too harsh.
Ngeleka is survived by her 12-year-old daughter Angel.