A North West man has been handed a life sentence for killing his girlfriend.
On Monday, the North West High Court in Mahikeng further sentenced Johannes Damcy Dielele to five years for unlawful possession of a firearm and three years for possession of ammunition. He was also declared unfit to possess a firearm.
Dielele, 36, was arrested in August 2018 for the murder that took place at the family home of his girlfriend at Boikhutso in Litchtenburg.
Further traumatising about the incident is that the cold-blooded murder happened in front of the victim’s sister. The couple has a minor child together.Â
Explaining the circumstances of the murder, National Prosecuting Authority’s (NPA) regional spokesperson Henry Mamothame, said: “On August 4, 2018 [Dielele] went to his lover’s home at the Boikhutso location and did not find her. He then requested her younger sister to alert him when his girlfriend arrived, to which she did.
“He subsequently drove back to his lover’s home and was told she went to an outside toilet. It was testified in court that an argument ensued between the two, leading to the accused collecting his gun from the car and shooting his girlfriend in full view of her younger sister. The deceased’s mother also came out of the house and saw the accused before he could flee the scene.”
Mamothame added that the police found Dielele hiding in his car in Lichtenburg the following day. The [lower] court denied him bail and stayed the duration of the trial in police custody. He pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Lifetime trauma for couple’s daughter
The state prosecutor Advocate Cain Nontenjwa urged the court not to deviate from the minimum prescribed sentence of life imprisonment, as there were no compelling circumstances to do so.
Nontenjwa further argued that the accusers’ conduct has left their seven-year-old daughter in a traumatic state that will affect her life for a long time. Judge Sandiswa Mfenyana agreed with the state and remarked on the character displayed by the accused of being remorseless for his actions.
The Director of Public Prosecutions in the North West Rachel Makhari lauded the collaboration between the prosecutor, Warrant Officer Isaac Seeco from the SAPS and other role players who ensured that the perpetrator was brought to book.
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