The Tsomo regional court sentenced traditional leader Masibonge Magodla, 35, who was found guilty of killing an elderly man he thought to be a witch, to life in prison.
The deceased’s daughter was notified on April 19, 2022, after returning from a funeral, that her father, who was 94 years old, had been discovered covered in blood at his home in the Magodla Administrative Area in the Ngqamakhwe district of the Eastern Cape.
The crime happened during the day, when most people in the small rural town were at a funeral, so no one knew who had done it when it was discovered.
As the community gathered at the deceased’s homestead, awaiting the arrival of the police, a young man from that area approached a family member.
Strangled while sleeping
He revealed that Inkosi Magodla had approached him and the other young men in the area early in the morning, offering to assist him in killing the deceased.
The 94-year-old, according to Magodla, was strangling him while he slept.
In addition, the young man disclosed the identities of the men who were present when the chief asked them to carry out the crime. The men corroborated the story.
During the course of the investigations, the clothing that Inkosi Magodla was wearing on the relevant day was seized for DNA analysis.
The results came back, confirming the deceased blood was detected on his shoes and the jacket he was wearing.
Magodla was arrested after it was determined from the lab results that he was connected to the crime and from the witness statements that he was carrying a weapon at the scene.
The state successfully opposed bail. Magodla entered a not-guilty plea during the trial, claiming to have an alibi.
Prosecutor Tando Ndzube of the regional court led the testimony of eight witnesses and submitted the reports on the DNA analysis and post-mortem examination.
Do not wait for police; hire a hearse
The eight witnesses were made up of five of the young men the accused had approached to carry out the murder.
They described to the court how the accused became irate when they refused to fulfil his request and threatened to complete it on his own.
Two of the eight state witnesses were the deceased’s family members, who disclosed that the accused, in his capacity as the traditional leader, had advised them to hire a hearse rather than waiting for the police.
According to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), these issues have an impact on communities’ safety and wellbeing.
“Our aim is to ensure justice for victims of crime, especially the vulnerable elderly people who find themselves preyed upon by those who wield power, such as Inkosi Magodla,” said Luxolo Tyali, the spokesperson for the NPA.
