KEY POINTS
- The court handed Bonginkosi Mokoena twenty years behind bars for ending the life of his girlfriend’s child.
- The action of Mokoena included striking the child before submerging him in cold water which ultimately resulted in his death.
- Mokoena suffers from permanent restrictions which disqualify him from firearm ownership and child-related work according to the Children’s Act.
Bonginkosi Mokoena received a 20-year prison term for his murder of his girlfriend’s two-year-old son at Phahameng Section in Tlholong near Kestell within the Free State district.
Free State man sentenced, Mokoena received conviction through the court following his physical assault on the toddler and his subsequent water submersion that ended in the child’s passing away.
The Free State High Court situated in Harrismith issued the court mandate and simultaneously declared Mokoena incapable of maintaining a weapon or working with children because of the Children’s Act requirements.
The tragic incident
Mokoena assaulted his victim on June 5 of the year 2024 right after the child defecated. Mokoena followed his assault with booting the child before he placed him into a water-filled basin according to police spokesperson Warrant Officer Mmako Mophiring.
He together with his girlfriend fell asleep immediately after the assault without performing any check on the child. Both Mokoena and his girlfriend checked on the child for the first time during morning hours when they realized he had stopped breathing.
Authorities respond to the tragedy
Mokoena along with the family member and his mother immediately brought the unresponsive child to a neighborhood clinic.
The emergency team and police received notification when services arrived at the location but medical workers confirmed the child had passed away quickly.
Tuska Mokoena received arrest after authorities handled the initial report on June 6, 2024. Free State man sentenced, through this court ruling justice has finally been served for the death of the innocent child after the fatal attack.
