Lockdown GBV: Man jailed for murdering the mother of his son
Image: Esa Alexander
A lengthy prison sentence has been handed to a Mpumalanga man who murdered the mother of his son.
After trying to escape justice he was apprehended in possession of her ID, cellphone, retail cards and work permit she obtained during Covid-19 lockdown.
The 35-year-old man was convicted and sentenced in the Mpumalanga high court sitting at Graskop on Tuesday. The man and his victim, who was 32, cannot be named for legal reasons as they had a child together.
The murder took place at Marite near Bushbuckridge on September 3 2020. Her body was discovered in the bushes by a passer-by. She had stab wounds to her throat.
The killer was arrested at his hideout at Eighteenburg, near Thulamahashe in Bushbuckridge, on September 7 that year.
The court sentenced him to 20 years' imprisonment for murder, 15 years for robbery and five years for defeating the ends of justice. The count of robbery will run concurrently with the count of defeating the ends of justice.
Mpumalanga police commissioner Lt-Gen Semakaleng Daphney Manamela said: “Perpetrators of gender-based violence should know there is no room for their evil deeds in society. We hope this sentence serves as a deterrent to those who might consider emulating these actions.”
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