A North West man who poured petrol on his girlfriend and then set her alight has been sentenced to life imprisonment.
Abram Bantikile Mokhutsane, 31, was convicted and sentenced in the The High Court of South Africa sitting in Klerksdorp Regional Court.
Mokhutsane was found guilty of killing his girlfriend Mamosebetsi Suzan Thamae in March 2023.
According to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) in the North West, the charge stems from a tragic incident that took place on March 11, 2023 in Kanana, Orkney in the district of Matlosana.
“Evidence presented in court revealed that Mokhutsane was in a love relationship with Mamosebetsi,” said NPA spokesperson Sivenathi Gunya.
The court heard that on the day of the incident, the couple had an argument.
“After which the accused walked to the nearby filling station, bought petrol in a container, and came back with it and poured it on the deceased while she was sleeping.”
The NPA said the Thamae’s son had been sleeping in another room.
Gunya said the court heard the harrowing details about the crime, which illustrated the vulnerability of the victim.
“The deceased suddenly screamed, alleging that the accused had set her alight.
“The deceased's son ran out of the bedroom and his mother alight, running around.
“Paramedics and firefighters were called to the scene, and the deceased was taken to the hospital together with the accused.
“The fire burnt the structure of the house as well as the most movable properties inside the house.”
Gunya, 42, died the next day in hospital.
“Post-mortem reports indicated that severe burns were the cause of death.”
Mokhutsane who was arrested shortly after pleaded not guilty to all charges.
“In court, the accused denied all the charges against him, stating that the deceased was the one who set herself on fire.
“He was linked through circumstantial evidence as no one saw him setting the deceased on fire.”
During sentencing, State Advocate Dibuseng Ntsala argued that gender-based violence is a scourge in our country.
This scourge is consuming our country, leaving most households with child-headed households and wounds, which do not heal.
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