The high court in Limpopo on Tuesday sentenced David Matjila to life imprisonment for the murders of his girlfriend Farina Valencia Mahlake and his son Kgoitsane Mahlake.
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) said the 44-year-old Matjila from Burgersfort had an argument with Mahlake before stabbing her 10 times. He then butchered his son 12 times with a sharp object. The deceased bodies were discovered the next day, on August 15 2021.
“During trial, Matjila pleaded guilty. In his plea, he stated that he saw a text message in the deceased cellphone, which proved that she was talking to a man,” said NPA regional spokesperson Mashudu Malabi-Dzhangi.
“He said that made him to suspect that she was cheating on him. He first hit her with a bottle of a soft drink and further stabbed her several times.
“After seeing that she is dead, the accused attempted to kill himself but failed. He then decided to kill the child by stabbing him in the chest.”
Matjila received a total of two life sentences which will run concurrently.
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