Africa-Press – South-Africa. A Gauteng man has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for murdering his pregnant girlfriend.
The Gauteng High Court in Pretoria sentenced Siyabonga Lebohang Hlophe Mabe, 26, from Orange Farm, for the murder of the 36-year-old woman on 29 February 2020.
The couple were at a tavern in Orange Farm when they started arguing.
“Mabe assaulted and dragged her to his shack, situated in Extension 7. The following morning, the deceased was found badly injured in an open veld near Mabe’s place,” said National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana.
The police and an ambulance were called, but the woman died later that day due to blunt-force trauma to the brain.
Mabe was arrested on 12 April 2021, and remained in custody after the NPA successfully opposed bail.
Mahanjana said:
The woman’s aunt testified in court that the victim was five months pregnant at the time of death. She was survived by five children, aged two to 11, the court heard.
“She told the court that the siblings had to be separated, and three children are now staying with their unemployed grandmother in Mpumalanga, while the others are staying with their fathers,” said Mahanjana.
Advocate Lawrence Sivhidzho told the court the five children would never again experience their mother’s love. He detailed her brutal death, saying she was dragged, her skin peeled off, and left in the bush the whole night.
“Mabe showed no remorse. He maintained his innocence even at the sentencing stage. Therefore, [the prosecutor] asked the court to impose a deterrent (sic) sentence,” added Mahanjana.
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