Johannesburg - A 39-year-old man has been handed a life sentence for killing an old woman while he was out on parole.
Levy Suping Selebogo was sentenced on Friday in the North West High Court for the 2018 murder.
Brigadier Sabata Mokgwabone, spokesperson for the North West police, said that in May 2018, 75-year-old Keitumetse Nkgothoe was found with a wound at her house in Gopane village.
She had also been robbed.
She was rushed to a nearby clinic where she was later certified dead.
Mokgwabone said the enraged community then identified the then-25-year-old Lloyd Nkgothoe as the old woman’s killer.
Nkgothoe, who was not related to the old woman, was beaten up and given a rope to hang himself.
Asked what could have led the community to Nkgothoe and whether he was a well-known criminal in the area, Mokgwabone said: “It was unreasonable suspicion. They were also throwing vulgar words at us, saying that we did not want to arrest the suspect.
Mokgwabone said an investigation by a team comprising of Motswedi and Groot Marico and Zeerust detectives working together with Motswedi Visible Policing later resulted in the capture of Selebogo.
“Further investigation into the matter revealed that at the time of the incident, Selebogo was on parole after being sentenced to 18 years imprisonment in 2004 for house robbery,” Mokgwabone said.
After a lengthy trial, Selebogo was on Friday handed a life sentence for the murder as well as a 20-year imprisonment for robbery.
Acting provincial commissioner Major-General Dintletse Molefe welcomed the life imprisonment sentence handed down to Selebogo and applauded the team members for their diligence and efficient utilisation of investigative aids that led to the arrest and subsequent conviction of the accused.
She said that the sentence would convey a clear message that no mercy would be shown to merciless criminals. She also pointed out that the case would serve as a caution to the public that taking the law into one’s hands can lead to the loss of innocent lives. | IOL