National crime wrap: Life sentence for rapist, bail denied for alleged riots instigator

Gauteng man sentenced for killing his girlfriend and high her body under his bed

The High Court in Gauteng, Johannesburg, has sentenced a man to 23 years in prison for killing his girlfriend and hiding her body under his bed.

Samuel Thokozane Sibeko told the court how he strangled Mathapelo Alice Mbele inside his shack at Vlakfontein until she fell to the ground.

The incident took place in June 2019.

The couple had a heated argument about her coming home drunk the night before the murder.

Sibeko said he’d tied her hands and feet and left his shack for a few hours, thinking that she just lost consciousness.

But after returning, he found she was not breathing. He panicked, wrapped her body in a blanket and stayed with friends in the days that followed.

Nearly a week later, he returned to bury her under his bed. When friends inquired after Mbele, he told them she had gone job hunting.

He confessed to a friend in August 2019.

During proceedings, State Advocate Coleen Ryan argued South Africa had become the femicide capital of the world.

“The killing of women by their partners has clearly become an epidemic and enormous social problem,” she said.

The Judge also condemned the murder and said Sibeko did not take the court wholly into his confidence and “therefore failed to show genuine remorse.”

Northern Cape man accused of killing ex in front of her children

A 34-year-old suspect from Delportshoop, who is facing numerous charges including murder, made a brief appearance in the Barkly West Magistrate’s Court.

Boikanyo Modisane is accused of beating his 23-year-old ex-girlfriend Vannessa Lerato Matebus to death.

On the day of the incident, he allegedly broke into Matebus’ shack and attacked her. She was home with her two children aged six and two years.

During court proceedings, Modisane chose to abandon his bail application.

He will remain behind bars until his next appearance on 10 November. Investigations are ongoing.

Boikanyo Modisane from Delportshoop allegedly beat his ex-girlfriend to death, while her two small children aged two and six years were at home in their informal dwelling. Modisane made a brief appearance at the Barkly West Magistrates Court today. pic.twitter.com/xdrD8H4AmJ

— Narissa Subramoney (@NarissaS3) October 11, 2021

North West: Life sentence for rapist and murderer

The High Court in North West has sentenced a 21-year-old-man to life imprisonment for murder and 10 years for rape.

Judge Frances Snyman ordered the sentences to run concurrently.

Last Thursday, Karabo Bahurutshe pleaded guilty to charges of rape and murder.

In December 2019, Gomolemo Legae was at a local tavern in Ramosadi village in Mahikeng with friends.

After leaving the shebeen with her friends, Bahurutshe followed the group before he raped Legae on the side of the road. After the rape, he stabbed her multiple times.

He then bought petrol at a nearby station to burn the body.

Bahurutshe handed himself over to the police after a family member told him that police were searching for him.

When presenting his version of events, Bahurutshe told the court that Legae was his girlfriend. He said she “insisted on going home with him to have sex”.

He then suggested they have intercourse on the road, an offer she refused.

Bahurutshe then raped her. He said he panicked and stabbed her after she threatened to report the rape.

During the sentencing process, it was revealed that Legae’s grief-stricken father had committed suicide after his daughter’s murder.

Snyman found that Bahurutshe showed no remorse for his actions. She further emphasised the need for the country to move forward progressively in the fight against gender-based violence.

KwaZulu-Natal: Alleged PMB instigator denied bail

A 35-year-old man accused of inciting violence during July’s unrest has been denied bail.

Ndumiseni Khetha Zuma appeared at the Pietermaritzburg Magistrate’s Court on Monday.

Zuma is facing charges of looting and public violence concerning the burning of the Brookside Mall.

The matter was remanded to 25 November for further investigations.

Four arrested in Verulam murder

Four suspects, aged between 30 to 39, have been charged for murder in Verulam.

A 30-year-old man was found with gunshot wounds on Hazelmere Drive in Mhlasini.

A police officer spotted the four men leaving in a car parked in the vicinity of the crime scene and followed them.

The officer stopped the vehicle and questioned its occupants about the deceased. They denied having any knowledge of the murder. But the officer made sure to record their details before they left.

Detectives then combed the scene for evidence which led them back to the four suspects.

Police have since seized the vehicle that was used on the day.

Eastern Cape: Four arrested for Qumbu murder

Four men driving a hijacked white Mercedes-Benz have been arrested in Qumbu in the Eastern Cape.

The car was reportedly hijacked in Mdantsane.

The men are believed to have shot and killed 27-year-old Luyanda Fumbaza outside a tavern in the early hours of Sunday morning.

The men were leaving the tavern when they stopped Fumbaza to inquire about a missing cellphone.

Details remain sketchy as to what happened next, but police believe the driver opened fire on Fumbaza before driving off. The men returned to the tavern later to search for the phone.

While there, detectives were informed of the suspect’s whereabouts and a team was immediately dispatched to make arrests.

The suspects aged, between 21 and 48 years old, face charges of murder, illegal possession of a firearm and possession of a hijacked vehicle.

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