Teenage girl slapped with 18-year prison sentence for murder
A 16-year-old girl will spend the beginning of her adult life behind bars after the Mpumalanga Division of the High Court, sitting in Middelburg, sentenced her to 18 years in prison.
The girl, who cannot be identified due to the Children’s Act, which prohibits the mention of an underage child’s name and their images being circulated in the media, was convicted of murdering Grace Tebogo Sebothoma (64) last August at Loding Village near Vaalbank.
According to the Mpumalanga police, the teenager murdered Sebothoma by stabbing her multiple times before stealing her personal belongings.
In addition to the 18-year imprisonment, the accused received a 10-year sentence for robbery with aggravating circumstances.
The court ordered the two sentences to run concurrently.
The Acting Provincial Commissioner of the SAPS in Mpumalanga, Major-General Dr Zeph Mkhwanazi, stressed the importance of community involvement in safeguarding vulnerable citizens, “We hope this sentence sends a strong message to young people who commit crimes. They will have to bear the consequences of their actions. Within the SAPS, the Youth Crime Prevention Desk has been established as a platform for young people to discuss issues affecting them. We encourage young people to get involved in the fight against crime, not become perpetrators of it,” he said.
