MAN SENTENCED FOR MURDER OF HIS FIANCÉE AND ATTEMPTED MURDER
The KwaMhlanga Regional Court convicted and sentenced Gladstone Sipho Mahlangu (43), to 20 years of direct imprisonment for the murder of his fiancée Siphiwe Mavis Mokoena, and attempted murder of her boyfriend (complainant). The accused had paid lobola to the deceased’s family and they had two children together. On 24 February 2019, the accused went to the deceased’s house at Thembalethu, KwaMhlanga and found his fiancée with another man in the room sitting on the bed. An altercation between the accused and the deceased ensued, as the accused wanted to know who the man was. He took out his firearm and fatally shot his fiancée in the head; he then fired shots at the complainant causing injuries on his ribs, shoulder, and hands. The accused was arrested and told the court that he accidentally shot his fiancée and acted in self-defence when shooting the complainant. State prosecutor, Bianca Harmse led evidence of the complainant, as well as that of an eyewitness who saw the shooting taking place. Postmortem reports showing numerous wounds to the deceased and J88 confirming life-threatening injuries caused to the complainant were exhibited. The accused was found guilty as charged.
State Prosecutor Harmse, argued that the court rejected the version of the accused due to the overwhelming evidence presented by the state that the accused intentionally shot the deceased and was never in any danger when shooting at the complainant. The state asked the court not to deviate from the prescribed minimum sentence on the murder charge as there were no substantial or compelling circumstances presented during the trial. The deceased’s father testified in aggravation of sentence and said losing his daughter has negatively affected the whole family and that they now have the burden of taking care of the deceased’s children. He said he would never forgive the accused for what he did to his daughter. The court sentenced the accused to 15 years imprisonment for murder and 5 years for attempted murder. The accused was declared unfit to possess a firearm in terms of Section 103 of the Firearms Control Act 60 of 2000.
The NPA will continue to pursue justice for the victims of sexual offences gender-based violence and femicide.
