Mapula Florah Manaka has been sentenced to 27 years in jail for planning the murder of her husband Archie Manaka. Picture: SAPS
Pretoria – The High Court in Limpopo has sentenced 40-year-old widow, Mapula Florah Manaka to 27 years imprisonment for orchestrating the murder of her husband Archie Manaka, who was 43 when he was killed in April 2020.
The superior court, situated in Polokwane heard that the deceased’s wife, Mapula, and her boyfriend plotted the murder of Archie, who was an IT specialist in the city.
“On 8 April 2020, the deceased was attacked and stabbed several times at his home in Moletjie, Ga-Makweya, in the Seshego policing area outside the City of Polokwane during what was believed to be a house robbery,” Limpopo police spokesperson, Lieutenant-Colonel Mamphaswa Seabi said.
When police arrived at the scene, the deceased man’s wife reported that three unknown suspects had forcefully entered the house, attacked her husband and took an undisclosed amount of money, and a laptop before fleeing the scene.
“Cases of murder and robbery were opened, and police in Limpopo launched their investigations and a manhunt for the suspects.
“A special task team comprising the provincial tracking team, provincial investigation unit and provincial crime intelligence unit was established and spearheaded the investigation,” Seabi said.
The deceased man’s wife, her boyfriend identified by police as 27-year-old Agrinate Makhubela and his accomplice, 30, were arrested a few months after the murder.
In court, the investigating officer Detective Sergeant Noko Mashitisho attached to the provincial investigation unit successfully opposed bail and the accused were kept in custody until the finalisation of trial. The third accused (Makhubela’s friend) has since turned into a State witness,” Seabi said.
Meanwhile, the case against Mapula’s boyfriend, Makhubela, is yet to be finalised in court.
The widow was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment for murder, and seven years for conspiracy to commit murder.
“The sentences will run concurrently, meaning the accused will serve an effective 20 years imprisonment,” Seabi said.
Provincial commissioner of police in Limpopo, Lieutenant-General Thembi Hadebe said she was “impressed” by the exceptional investigations conducted by Sergeant Mashitisho and the team, which led to the arrest and incarceration of the widow.
IOL
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