The Limpopo Polokwane High Court sentenced Mahlatse Stephen Rapelwana (29) of Bolobedu Sethone village, to Life imprisonment for Boyfriend murder.
The deceased, Nancy Selome and the accused were in a love relationship. On 26 December 2020, the deceased and her friend were at a tavern in Kubjana village. At about 2am, the tavern closed and they went outside and met the accused.
He wanted to talk to the deceased but she refused. She then told him that she wants her personal belongings that she left at the accused’s house.
LIFE IMPRISONMENT FOR BOYFRIEND MURDERER
Rapelwana threatened the deceased that he would kill her. While walking on the streets of Mopye village, the accused assaulted the deceased with clenched fists in the presence of her friend. But her friend reprimanded the accused.
They continued walking and the accused then tripped the deceased and she fell on the ground. The accused further came on top of her and stabbed her 23 times on her back with a pair of scissors.
The accused, on realising that he killed the deceased, alerted people who were staying nearby that he killed a person and they should call the police. He furthermore left the scene and went to his homestead.
In aggravation of the sentence, the state advocate Sontaga Malefahlo made a submission that GBV cases are very prevalent in this country.
WHY LIFE IMPRISONMENT
Only our courts can deter people like the accused from committing similar offences by imposing harsher sentences.
The accused has several previous convictions and most of them are violent crimes. All kinds of sentences were imposed against him, but that did not stop him from committing similar offences. When committing this offence, he was out on parole.
The accused failed to adduce compelling and substantial circumstances to persuade the court to deviate from the prescribed minimum sentence. Therefore, the court sentenced Mahlatse Stephen Rapelwana to life imprisonment for murder.
