A jilted lover from Limpopo has been sentenced to life imprisonment for fatally stabbing his girlfriend 23 times with a pair of scissors.
Mahlatse Stephen Rapelwana of Kethone village in Bolobedu was convicted for the murder of his girlfriend Nancy Selome when he appeared at the Limpopo High Court on Tuesday.
Detailing the incident, Limpopo National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Mashudu Malabo-Dzhangi said Selome and her friend were chilling at a tavern at Kubjana village on December 26 2020, but later went outside to meet the 29-year-old Rapelwana.
While outside, Rapelwana asked to speak to Selome who refused and told him that she wanted her personal belongings that she had left at his home. She said Rapelwana got angry and threatened to kill Selome.
Malabo-Dzhangi said while walking on the streets of Mopye village, Rapelwana attacked Selome in the presence of her friend who reprimanded him.
“After attacking her, Selome and her friend continued walking and the accused tripped the deceased. When she fell to the ground, the accused climbed on top of her and stabbed her 23 times on her back with a pair of scissors,” said Malabi-Dzhangi.
“The accused, on realising that he killed the deceased, alerted people who were staying nearby that he had killed a person and they should call the police. He furthermore left the scene and went to his homestead.”
She said in aggravation of sentence, the state advocate Sontaga Malefahlo asked the court to give Rapelwana a harsh sentence as part of fighting gender-based violence, which has been declared a pandemic.
Malabi-Dzhangi said the NPA welcomes the sentence and applauds Malefahlo and the investigating officer’s good work.
“Only our courts can deter people like the accused from committing similar offences by imposing harsher sentences,” said Malabi-Dzhangi.
“The accused has several previous convictions and most of them are violent crimes, and 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.”
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