Lefadi Chego was on Monday sentenced to life plus five years direct imprisonment for murder and defeating the ends of justice.
Chego, 49, pleaded guilty to murdering his then-girlfriend Zama Zithobile Maphisa at the high court in Middelburg, Mpumalanga.
Mpumalanga National Prosecuting Authority regional spokesperson, Monica Nyuswa, said Chego told the court through his lawyer that he was in a relationship with the 35-year-old woman since April 2020, and their relationship deteriorated after the deceased fell pregnant and subsequently gave birth to a baby girl.
Chego said the deceased was rude to him and his family and had stolen money from him. She allegedly told him that the money was her reward for satisfying him sexually.
Before killing her, Chego invited Maphisa out with an intention to rekindle their relationship
“Upon their arrival [at the venue], the conversation about money started where the deceased demanded the accused to pay damages to her family since they have a child out of wedlock. The conversation became confrontational and Chego ended up stabbing the deceased with a knife to death,” said Nyuswa.
When he realised that she was not breathing, he abandoned her lifeless body at the resort and threw the murder weapon away, according to Nyuswa.
“He then handed over the deceased’s handbag and a cellphone to her cousin and told them that she had been hospitalised in one of the hospitals in Mpumalanga. He confessed to the murder a month later and only the deceased’s skull was found,” said Nyuswa.
State advocate Gertrude Nkosi told the court that the killing of life partners has become a regular occurrence in the province.
“The deceased did not deserve to die in such a brutal manner, as she had her whole life ahead of her. She left behind a grieving mother, father and other friends and family, who are still coming to terms with her untimely and senseless death,” said Nkosi.
Nyuswa added that judge Thando Mankge found no substantial or compelling factors to justify the imposition of a lesser sentence.
“She sentenced Chego to life imprisonment for murder and five years for defeating the ends of justice. The court ordered a sentence of five years to run concurrent with life imprisonment, the effective sentence being life.”
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