Alex schoolboy’s murderer Peter Mphulo Magolego will spend the next 14 years languishing behind bars following his sentencing by Alexandra Regional Court magistrate Renier Boshoff on October 7.
Magolego, who only pleaded guilty to the August 28, 2022, murder of Sandton View High School learner Thando Khumalo (20), in April this year, had indicated to the court that he did not want to waste the court’s time, and was pleading guilty to the charge.
Read more: Another sentencing attempt for Thandos murderer comes up
He was subsequently convicted but the matter had to be postponed to allow for different social workers for the accused and the family of the late Thando to present mitigatory and aggravation reports respectively before the sentence could be handed down.
The social worker for Thando handed the report to the court well before the next court date, but the report for the convict was only presented to the court four months later.
Pronouncing his sentence, Boshoff noted that he had killed the schoolboy for nothing and deserved to be locked behind bars for a considerable time.
Also read: The never-ending sentencing saga of Thando Khumalo’s murderer still drags on
Thando, a Grade 11 learner, was gunned down at point blank range as he returned to his home in Tsutsumani Village in Alexandra in the early morning hours, after a night out with six of his friends, when he met his tragic death on the corner of 12th Avenue and Hofmeyr Street.
The boys had picked up an argument over a traffic incident with the convict, who then produced a gun. The boys abandoned their car and bolted on foot while Magolego gave chase.
He caught up with Thando and shot him in the head. The boy died on the spot. Two other boys received injuries to their legs and were rushed to hospital.
Boshoff said although the accused pleaded guilty under the pretext of not wanting to waste the court’s time, he had wasted the court’s time for nearly two years by giving it the run-around. “If he did not intend to waste our time, he should have pleaded guilty the very first day in court,” Boshoff added.
Magolego has two pending murder cases, one in the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court and the other in the Randburg Magistrate’s Court.
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