Pretoria - The Stilfontein Regional Court in North West has sentenced 43-year-old David Khoza to life imprisonment for brutally murdering his niece and her 12-year-old son at Tigane, near Hartebeesfontein.
National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson in North West, Henry Mamothame, said the gruesome incident happened in May 2012.
“Police reports reveal that Khoza broke into the house where the two were staying and slit their throats before fleeing the scene. A swift response by the police led them to his house where clothing items with bloodstains were discovered and sent for DNA sampling,” said Mamothame.
The test results came back positive, linking Khoza to the crime.
During the trial, Khoza pleaded not guilty.
“The State prosecutor, Advocate Christoffel Kok, urged the court not to deviate from the minimum subscribed sentence, given the brutal nature of the crime. He further argued that Khoza was a remorseless individual who did not value the lives of women and children,” said Mamothame.
“The court shared the same sentiment as it imposed a life sentence to Khoza on both counts of murder.”
Meanwhile, the director of public prosecutions in North West, Dr Rachel Makhari-Sekhaolelo, has lauded the prosecutor and the investigating officer for the successful conviction.
“The criminal justice system is advocating strongly against gender-based violence and femicide as well as the abuse of women and children, and such convictions are a step in the right direction,” Makhari-Sekhaolelo.
Last month, the case against a 34-year-old man accused of killing his girlfriend and burying her in a shallow grave was deferred at the Moretele Magistrate’s Court in Temba, the NPA in North West said at the time.
Mamothame said the case against Samuel Noko was deferred to March 4 for a formal requisition by the State.
“He failed to appear in court, and no reasons were provided by the correctional services department,” he said.
Noko is charged with murder, defeating the ends of justice and rape. He allegedly murdered Monni Monyeki, 29, and buried her in a shallow grave near a river in Mathibestad.
According to police reports, Monyeki was reported missing by her aunt on May 29 in 2021. The last person she was seen with was Noko, who was allegedly her boyfriend.
IOL