Durban - A 35-year-old Mpumalanga man was sentenced to 40 years in prison by the High Court on Tuesday after he robbed and stabbed the mother of his child in the neck, leaving her body in a bush.
Both the suspect and the 32-year-old victim’s names have been withheld for the safety of their son, Nelspruit police spokesperson Brigadier Selvy Mohlala said on Wednesday.
The Mpumalanga High Court sentenced the accused to 20 years for murder, 15 years for robbery and five for defeating the ends of justice.
The incident took place on September 3, 2020 at around 8pm.
After their daughter failed to returned home, a distraught family of the victim reported her missing at Calcutta police station on September 4.
In the early hours of September 5, police found her body in a bush in Marite, around 20km west of Calcutta police station. It is believed a passer-by saw her body and alerted police.
Police say the victim was found with “deep stab wounds on her throat”.
After a two-day manhunt, police found the suspect hiding at Eighteenburg near Thulamahashe on September 7. Thulamahashe is an area north-east of where the victim's body was found.
“The court sentenced the accused after it was heard that he robbed the victim of her personal belongings and bluntly killed her, then concealed her body in the bushes on September 3, 2020 around 8pm.
“The accused was found in possession of some items belonging to the deceased, which included her identity document, cell phone, retail cards, as well as her work permit (as it was during Lockdown Level 5). The accused was then arrested and charged for murder, robbery and defeating the ends of justice,” Mohlala said.
With gender-based violence continuing to affect the lives of South African women, General Semakaleng Daphney Manamela, provincial commissioner of the SAPS, praised the investigating team, prosecution and judiciary.
“Perpetrators of gender-based-violence should know that there is no room for their evil deeds in society. We hope that this sentence serves as a deterrence to those who might consider emulating their actions," Manamela said.
IOL