POLOKWANE – The provincial police commissioner, Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe, welcomed the hefty sentences handed down to a 41-year-old woman and her boyfriend for the murder of her husband.
The duo, Glenrose Vuyela Ramaipadi (41) and Sewisha Johannes Mphego (43), appeared in the Limpopo Division of the High Court in Polokwane on Friday (November 12) for the murder of 57-year-old Daniel Ramaipadi, police spokesperson Brigadier Motlafela Mojapelo said.
The deceased husband was shot and killed in his home in Ga-Motodi village outside Burgersfort in July 2017.
Mojapelo explained that investigations revealed that the wife and boyfriend had plotted to kill the wife’s husband and hired a hitman. “On July 22, 2017, the hitman finally carried out the deadly action and shot the deceased.”
A case of murder was opened at the Tubatse Police Station and a special SAPS task team led by Sergeant Qiunani Mgabine, who is attached to the Provincial Investigating Unit, was established and a manhunt ensued. The wife, boyfriend and hitman were arrested in December 2017.
Read more: Burgersfort: Wife, boyfriend & hitman arrested for murder
“During the trial, the hitman passed away while in custody and the two accused were released after the case was struck off the roll due to a lack of evidence. Following thorough investigations by Mgabine, the pair were positively linked to the murder, and they were re-arrested and subsequently convicted by the court,” he said.
Ramaipadi and Mphego were each sentenced to life imprisonment for murder.
Hadebe commended the relentless efforts and determination manifested by the investigating officer which led to the hefty sentence and ensured that justice prevailed.