North West man receives 20-year sentence for girlfriend's murder in GBV case.
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A 45-year-old man from the North West has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for the murder of his girlfriend and five years for the attempted murder of his friend. The sentences will run concurrently.
On October 29, 2023, Botman Mphahlele and his partner, Patricia Sabole attended a local event with their male friend Phillemon Kedige.
National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Sivenathi Gunya said the couple had an altercation on their way back from the event.
"The court heard that Mphahlele displayed a violent and uncontrollable behaviour towards his girlfriend," said Gunya. "Physically attacking her and even wanted to put a beer bottle in the private part of his girlfriend. He was reprimanded by his friends in the combi; they were on the way back from the event."
When they arrived in Rustenburg that evening, they all headed to a nearby tavern.
At the tavern, the accused resumed the violence, shooting his fiancée twice in the neck and head before shooting his friend. Sabole died at the site, and the crime was quickly reported to police, resulting in Mphahlele's arrest.
Mphahlele pleaded not guilty to all of the charges brought against him. During the sentence, State Prosecutor Orlinah Mputla pointed out that gender-based violence (GBV) is a plague in society.
She told the court that killing women and children is a very severe crime because it forces the community to take the law into their own hands. Mputla argued that the accused was the deceased's partner, and he was expected to protect her, not kill her.
IOL News