A man who was charged with stabbing his girlfriend multiple times has been handed a 15-year sentence.
The Moretele magistrate’s court in North West also ordered that five years of the sentence against the accused, Nkateko Masha, be suspended. He was sentenced for murdering his 17-year-old girlfriend.
Accusations of infidelity
The court also declared the 24-year-old suspect unfit to posses a firearm.
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) regional spokesperson Henry Mamothame said the incident occurred on November 16 2021, at Stinkwater near Moretele.
“The suspect confronted his girlfriend, who was with him at his home. He accused her of cheating after seeing images on Facebook. An argument ensued, and the girlfriend decided to end the relationship with him.
“She, however, slept over in his outside room. That’s when he decided to get a knife and stabbed her to death while she was asleep,” Mamothame added.
Handed himself over to police
Mamothame added that Masha subsequently fled to a nearby bush, where he attempted suicide by cutting his hands with a knife.
He explained : “He later withdrew from killing himself and went back home to report what he had done before handing himself to the police. The court granted him R1,000 bail and he pleaded guilty to the offence.”
Prosecutor Mpho Matlala urged the court to consider the high rate of femicide in the country. Matlala further argued that being in a relationship doesn’t give any partner a right to kill whenever there’s a conflict.
Prospect of rehabilitation
Magistrate Gilbert Sono agreed with the state. However, he considered that the accused was young and a first time offender. He said this made him a candidate for rehabilitation, before sentencing him.
The director of public prosecutions in the North West, Rachel Makhari, lauded the prosecutor and Constable Kekana from the SAPS. Makhari commended them for their collaboration in bringing justice to the family of the deceased.
