A Mpumalanga pastor and his son were found guilty and sentenced to life in prison for the heinous act of severing a young man’s hands with a panga and abandoning him to perish by the side of the road.
Pastor Solomon Mahlangu and his son Enock Mahlangu were sentenced to life in prison for attempted murder and three years in prison for kidnapping by the Emalahleni Regional Court this week.
The victim was accused of stealing batteries and other equipment from their church.
Enock’s wife, Poppy Lethnes Mhlanga, received three years’ direct imprisonment for kidnapping.
Severely mutilated
According to evidence before the court, the victim was walking through the church premises on March 27, 2024, using Kroomdraai Road toward Extension 16 in Vosman, outside Emalahleni, when he was ambushed by Enock, Solomon, and Poppy.
They dragged him into a vehicle, took him to an isolated area, and then savagely mutilated him.
The court heard how Solomon and Enock chopped off the man’s hands with a knife while he screamed and begged for help.
They then abandoned him on the spot, bleeding and slipping in and out of consciousness.
The only reason he lived was because someone saw him lying by the side of the road and hurried to get him emergency medical attention.
“Solomon and Enock assaulted the victim, dragged him from a vehicle, and brutally chopped off his hands with a panga. The accused abandoned him at the scene while he bled and pleaded for help.
“A passerby found the victim and rushed him to receive urgent medical attention,” said National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) regional spokesperson Monica Nyuswa on Wednesday.
Nyuswa said following police investigations, the accused were arrested and later released on bail under strict conditions.
She said that, despite the brutality of the attack, the accused pleaded not guilty and elected to remain silent.
Irrefutable evidence
The state, led by prosecutor Francois Brandt, tabled what the court described as credible and irrefutable evidence, including the victim’s vivid account of the assault and a photo album capturing the scene where his severed hands were recovered.
“The court also admitted a photo album showing the scene where the severed hands were found. Although the accused testified, the court found their versions to be bare denials and rejected them as improbable.
“The victim’s testimony was accepted as truthful and reliable. Prosecutor Brandt argued for the imposition of harsh sentences to send a strong message that violent crimes will not be tolerated,” said Nyuswa.
When delivering the sentence, the court weighed the roles each perpetrator played and the devastating violence inflicted on the victim.
The NPA has hailed the sentences as a victory for justice.
“The NPA welcomes these sentences and remains unwavering in its commitment to vigorously pursuing perpetrators of violent crimes, sending a clear and firm message to would-be offenders,” said Nyuswa.
All the accused were also declared unfit to possess firearms. The sentences mark one of the harshest rulings in recent years for vigilante-style cruelty.
