KEY POINTS
- Officers were killed after stopping a vehicle with stolen goats.
- Their bodies were found in a burnt police van.
- Three suspects received life sentences for the officers’ murder.
Three individuals were given life sentences by the Mafikeng High Court on Friday for the 2021 killings of Sergeant Mojalefa Molete and Constable Simon Ntsekeletsa.
Police officers murdered after stopping stolen livestock vehicle
In addition to other prison terms for connected acts, Benjamin Kerneels Jacobs, 45; Gaorekwe Jeremiah Mongale, 28; and Rapula George Keaikitse, 27 were each given two life sentences for murder. For robbery with aggravating circumstances, a fourth suspect, 23-year-old Mathews Modukanele, was sentenced to 15 years in prison.
The convictions were related to a July 26, 2021, incident where Ntsekeletsa, 50, and Molete, 42, stopped a car carrying 18 goats close to Mareetsane police station, according to National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Sivenathi Gunya. The authorities told the suspects to travel to the station since they did not have a proper permission to carry the livestock. But while traveling, the suspects’ car broke down, so they called for help.
According to Timeslive, the suspects attacked the officers with hammers, bound them with a rope, and loaded them into the back of the police van while one officer tried to secure a tow rope. At Mosita Wildlife Farm, close to Vryburg, authorities subsequently found the officers’ remains in a police car that had been completely destroyed by fire.
Court hands down harsh sentences for brutal killings
The prosecution’s overwhelming evidence led to the four suspects’ convictions despite their not guilty pleas. State lawyer Siphiwo Jika highlighted the terrible consequences of the crime by presenting victim impact testimonies from police officers and their families.
Two life sentences for murder, 15 years for robbery with aggravating circumstances, 10 years for each count of kidnapping, 6 years for thwarting the ends of justice, 10 years for malicious property damage, 15 years for unlawful possession of firearms, 10 years for unlawful possession of ammunition, and 5 years for stock theft were imposed on Jacobs, Mongale, and Keaikitse.
Modukanele received a 15-year sentence for robbery with aggravating circumstances, along with concurrent terms for property damage, kidnapping, and stock theft. The harsh penalties, the court stressed, are a deterrent to future attacks on law enforcement and reflect the seriousness of the offense.Â
