MAN SENTENCED TO LIFE IMPRISONMENT FOR MURDERING AND SETTING ALIGHT HIS GIRLFRIEND
Klerksdorp, South Africa – The High Court of South Africa sitting in Klerksdorp Regional Court has sentenced Abram Bantikile Mokhutsane (31) to life imprisonment for the murder of his girlfriend Mamosebetsi Suzan Thamae (42). Mokhutsane was also sentenced to seven years imprisonment for arson. The court ordered that all sentences run concurrently with a life imprisonment sentence for murder. The charge stems from a tragic incident that occurred in Kanana, Orkney in the district of Matlosana. Evidence presented in court revealed that Mokhutsane was in a love relationship with Mamosebetsi, the deceased. In the early hours of 11 March 2023, they engaged in a quarrel. The court heard after the quarrel the accused walked to the nearby filling station, bought petrol in a container, and came back with it and poured it on the deceased while she was sleeping. At the time when the accused and the deceased were quarrelling, the deceased son was sleeping in the other room.
The court heard the harrowing details about the crime, which illustrated the vulnerability of the victim. The deceased suddenly screamed, alleging that the accused had set her alight. The deceased’s son ran out of the bedroom and found the deceased running on the flames of the fire. Paramedics and firefighters were called to the scene, and the deceased was taken to the hospital together with the accused. The fire burnt the structure of the house as well as the most movable properties inside the house. The following day, the deceased was declared dead in hospital. Postmortem reports indicated that severe burns were the cause of death. Mokhutsane was arrested shortly after the incident and has been in custody since. He pleaded not guilty to all charges.
In court, the accused denied all the charges against him, stating that the deceased was the one who set herself on fire. He was linked through circumstantial evidence as no one saw him setting the deceased on fire. During sentencing, State Advocate Dibuseng Ntsala argued that gender-based violence is a scourge in our country. This scourge is consuming our country, leaving most households with child-headed households and wounds, which do not heal. She further told the court that the accused violated section 11 of the constitution and took the deceased life. Advocate Ntsala argued that the way the accused committed the offence was very vile, brutal, and sadistic.
Judge Reddy, in delivering the sentence, said that the accused was not remorseful for his conduct. The Judge further said the sentence might not return the deceased, but the court is hoping it will serve to rehabilitate the accused and restore confidence in the justice system. The Director of Public Prosecutions in the North West, Dr Rachel Makhari welcomed the sentence and lauded the Prosecutor, Investigating Officer and other role players who ensured that justice was served to the victims. The DPP will serve as a deterrent to the perpetrators of gender-based violence in this country.
