A 24-year-old man who stabbed his girlfriend to death after accusing her of cheating, has been sentenced 15 years in prison by the Moretele Magistrates Court.
The incident took place on November 16, 2021, in Stinkwater near Moretele, North West.
National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson in North West division, Henry Mamothame, said Nkateko Masha confronted his then girlfriend when they were at his home and accused her of cheating.
“An argument ensued and the girlfriend decided to end the relationship with him. However, she slept over at Masha’s outside room, and that’s when he decided to get a knife and stabbed her to death while she was asleep,” Mamothame said.
After stabbing her, he fled to a nearby bush where he tried to end his life by cutting his hands with a knife.
“He later withdrew from killing him self and went back home to report what he had done before handing himself to the police.”
He was released on R1,000 bail and he pleaded guilty to the murder.
During sentencing, the prosecutor, Mpho Matlala, urged the court to consider the prevalence of femicide in the country and further argued that being in a relationship does not grant anyone the right to take another person’s life.
Meanwhile, Magistrate Gilbert Sono agreed with the prosecutor’s arguments, howvwer, he also took into consideration Masha’s age, the fact that he was a first-time offender, and the potential for rehabilitation.
The Director of Public Prosecutions in the North West, Dr Rachel Makhari, praised the prosecutor and the South African Police Service for their collaboration in bringing justice to the family of the deceased.
IOL News