Africa-Press – South-Africa. A Gauteng man who killed his girlfriend during a quarrel after she confronted him about a woman’s clothes in his cupboard has been handed a 20-year prison sentence.
Khopotso Danny Mokholobotho strangled his girlfriend Tshepiso Maekisa to death with a rope before dumping her body 29.8km outside of Vooslorus last year.
The murder was described as senseless and brutal.
When Mokholobotho appeared in the Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg, he entered into a plea and sentencing agreement with the State.
He pleaded guilty to the murder of his girlfriend and mother of his child, as well as defeating the ends of justice and theft.
Gauteng National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Phindi Mjonondwane said in a statement on Tuesday that the court had sentenced Mokholobotho to 20 years imprisonment for the murder of Maekisa, three years for defeating the ends of justice, and seven years for theft.
“The court ordered that the sentences on the count of theft and defeating the ends of justice to run concurrently with the sentence of the murder charge, resulting in an effective imprisonment term of 20 years,” she said.
The murder
According to Mjonondwane, Maekisa had visited Mokholobotho in Vosloorus on 10 January 2021.
“They had a fight over a woman’s clothes found in his wardrobe, wherein the accused assaulted Maekisa and thereafter tied a rope around her neck and strangled her,” she said.
Mokholobotho and another person then removed her body from the scene and dumped it in Heidelberg where it was discovered three days later.
During the sentencing on Monday, State prosecutor Victor Mongwane argued that the court should consider the fact that there was a high degree of violence against a powerless woman.
He further added:
In handing down the sentence, Acting Judge Ian Cox took note of mitigating factors, such as the fact that Mokholobotho had pleaded guilty, had shown remorse and taken full responsibility for his actions, and that he was a single father to five dependents.
Such factors, according to Cox, constituted substantial and compelling circumstances, warranting a lesser sentence than the minimum prescribed sentence of life imprisonment, said Mjonondwane.
Mjonodwane said the NPA condemned any form of violent crime against women and applauded the level of commitment by investigating officer Warrant Officer Mphele and advocate Mongwane to deliver justice to the Maekisa family.
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