Mpumalanga man kills ex-girlfriend, steals money and snacks
The killer stabbed the woman to death before stealing her purse and a bag of snacks and fleeing the scene on foot.
PRETORIA, April 13 (ANA) – The High Court in Mpumalanga, sitting in Middelburg, has sentenced 50-year-old Jan Lepapiki Mafa from Kloporo near Siyabuswa to 25 years’ imprisonment after he was convicted of killing his ex-girlfriend, Mapula Moremi.
National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) regional spokesperson in Mpumalanga Monica Nyuswa said the murder happened in September 2019 in full view of Moremi’s grandchildren.
“Mafa and Moremi were in an intimate relationship since 2004. At a certain stage, Mafa left Moremi and when he returned he demanded the relationship to continue as normal. Moremi objected,” said Nyuswa.
“On the day of the incident, Mafa went to the house where Moremi was residing in Mdutjana and found her two grandchildren and her friend. He enquired about the whereabouts of Moremi and he was told that she was in the bedroom.”
The court heard that Mafa instructed Moremi to leave with him, but she refused.
“Moremi threatened that she will call the police. Mafa refused to leave. Instead he went to the kitchen, took a knife and stabbed Moremi in front of the grandchildren several times and she died instantly. He further took her purse from her handbag with an undisclosed amount of money, a bag of snacks and fled the scene on foot,” said Nyuswa.
Six months later, Mafa was found in his hideout in an informal settlement in Mamelodi, Tshwane, and he was arrested.
“He pleaded not guilty. The State advocate, Mmamphai Tshwane, led testimonies of two eyewitnesses. The victim impact statement was also handed in, confirming the deep trauma suffered by the grandchildren such that they even failed their grades in 2019,” said Nyuswa.
“The court heard from advocate Tshwane that Mafa did not show remorse for his actions. Tshwane emphasised the scourge and prevalence of gender-based violence, arguing for a suitable sentence.”
She said the presiding judge, Hein Brauckman, highlighted that the scourge of violence against women in South Africa has become endemic.
She said the judge noted that South Africa’s femicide rate is five times higher than the global average and therefore the court had to impose harsh sentences to stem the plague.
“He sentenced Mafa to 25 years’ imprisonment for murder and 15 years for robbery with aggravating circumstances. He ordered the sentences to run concurrently, the effective sentence being 25 years,” said Nyuswa.
The National Prosecuting Authority on Tuesday welcomed the conviction and sentence.
– African News Agency (ANA); Editing by Yaron Blecher
