Pretoria - A 41-year-old Mpumalanga man has been handed a 20-year sentence for murdering his ex-girlfriend.
At the time of the incident, the victim was home with her two daughters she she was brutally murdered.
Brigadier Leonard Hlathi said the murders happened at Buffelshoek in Acornhoek near Bushbuckridge on 22 February 2020.
He said Kutollo Enoch Molobela gained entry through a window and found the victim with her two daughters but,.
He said the children managed to escape to seek for help whilst Molobela “heartlessly attacked the defenseless victim” by brutally stabbing her repeatedly.
“By the time neighbours arrived, the victim had already sustained gruesome injuries and was bleeding profusely. Molobela then absconded the scene when he noticed the presence of the victim's neighbours.”
Police and emergency services arrived at the scene and the woman was certified dead at the scene.
“A case docket of murder was registered and police immediately commenced with their investigation where they launched a search party for Molobela,” said Hlathi.
“Police management assembled a formidable team of astute members who worked tirelessly, connected all the dots and managed to make a breakthrough when they sniffed Molobela out from his hiding place at Pienaar near Nelspruit on 25 February 2020.
“He was positively linked to the murder, charged accordingly and appeared before court.”
Molobela was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment for trespassing, house breaking with intent to commit murder as well as murder. He was also declared unfit to possess a firearm.
Meanwhile, police provincial commissioner Lieutenant General Semakaleng Manamela has issued “a strong warning” for men to desist from killing their partners.
Manamela has applauded the SAPS members who brought down Molobela, the National Prosecuting Authority as well as the judiciary for the “sterling work” which led to the “well deserved sentence”.
"Gender-based violence (GBV) remains a big challenge in our society as it often results in children being turned into orphans and leaves indelible scars to many families. Opinion leaders as well as civil society are urged to come on board, joining hands with government with a view to eradicate this pandemic,” she said.
“Everyone should be an activist against GBV and I find it very strange how some men accept it as normal, that when there is a dispute between them and their wives or girlfriends, they think the best remedy is to kill their women. As a woman myself and having worked as a police officer for many years, it pains me to see our country sliding into a war zone where women are targeted and brutally killed,” Manamela said.
IOL