Kibi Josias Leboho was on Monday sentenced by the Polokwane High Court for the murder of his ex-fiancé, Tshepo Rakoma.
The 36-year-old was arrested in May 2021 after he shot and killed the 29-year-old Rakoma in a parking lot of the shopping Centre in the Polokwane CBD.
According to the Limpopo National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson, Mashudu Malabi-Dzhangi, after killing Rakoma, Leboho climbed on top of a building threatening to commit suicide. Police negotiators convinced him otherwise and arrested him.
“Leboho was sentenced to life imprisonment for murder, three years for unlawful possession of a firearm and one year of direct imprisonment for a count of unlawful possession of ammunition. During the trial Leboho told the court that he was on the scene to assist the mother of his children and she was killed by an unknown person,” said Malabi-Dzhangi.
In aggravation of the sentence, the state advocate, Malebo Maleka, submitted that the accused did not abandon his plan to kill the deceased even though he had many opportunities to do so. The offence was premeditated and deserving of a life sentence.
“She further said that the fact that the accused has paid dowry for the deceased does not mean she was his property. The advocate concluded by saying that the accused never showed any remorse throughout the proceedings.
“In sentencing, Judge Griet Muller remarked that the offence was premeditated, and it is a family tragedy. He then said that the family would never see the deceased again because of the accused. He further remarked that there are no substantial or compelling circumstances to justify a deviation from the prescribed minimum sentence,” added Malabi-Dzhangi.
She further alluded that the NPA says no to any form of violence including physical, emotional, psychological, sexual or economic.
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