Prison warder to serve jail time for wife’s murder
The deceased was hit with an unknown object and was strangled to death with a cord.
The Pretoria High Court recently handed out a hefty sentence of 25 years to a prison warder from Mamelodi following the murder of his wife.
Sanele Ntshangase (32) was arrested in January 2023 and was found guilty of the murder of his wife Phinderia Botshelo Phora (31) on May 25.
Phora was among the 10 000 newly trained police officers who graduated in December 2022 from Pretoria West.
Advocate Anne-Marie Bendeman, the senior prosecutor, said the accused was sentenced to 25 years of imprisonment, of which 5 were wholly suspended with conditions.
She said Ntshangase and Phora were married and lived in Mamelodi Phase 5, where the lifeless body of the wife was found in a back room of the home.
She said Ntshangase killed Phora in a fit of jealousy on January 2 after he saw a picture of her with a male colleague.
The deceased was hit with an unknown object then strangled to death with a cord.
“The accused assaulted and strangled the deceased at their shared home in Mamelodi.
“As a result of this assault and strangulation, Phora died,” said Bendeman.
The accused fled then attempted suicide.
According to the post-mortem examination, the cause of death was a blunt-force head injury.
A neighbour, who wished to remain anonymous, said Phora’s body was found by members of the family after her husband fled.
The neighbour said when the husband was later found was taken to hospital for treatment after he attempted suicide by taking poison.
“The husband had accused her of cheating since she became a police officer. She once called us to try to make peace between them as they were fighting constantly,” she said.
She further said the accused was a jealous and not happy with the idea of his wife joining the police.
“The police training programme took months and was later extended, and the fight worsened between the two. The jealous husband further saw a picture of the deceased with her colleague which drove him crazy and he killed her,” she said.
She said Phora was tragically killed because her husband believed she was having an affair with a colleague.
Phora was placed at Denilton police station to serve and protect after completing her basic police training.
Ntshangase is a prison warder.
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