A 28-year-old Bushbuckridge man who killed a couple in February this year has been sentenced to 77 years in jail.
Witness Monareng was sentenced in the High Court of South Africa, Mpumalanga division on Monday.
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) said Monareng was convicted of the murder of Alber Mashego and his girlfriend Victoria Mmathapelo Lebjane in February 2024.
NPA spokesperson Monica Nyuswa said Monareng pleaded guilty to two counts of murder, two counts of robbery with aggravating circumstances, and housebreaking with intent to commit a crime.
The incident occurred near Violet Bank Trust and Zoekenog Trust in Bushbuckridge.
The NPA said on February 5, 2024 Monareng and unidentified accomplices forcefully entered the home of Mashego in Violet Bank Trust, demanding money, cellphones, and a bank card.
“When Mashego informed them that his bank card was with his girlfriend, Victoria Mmathapelo Lebjane, in Zoekenog Trust, Monareng forced him to call her to arrange its retrieval.”
The NPA said when they arrived at Lebjane’s house Monareng ordered Mashego to knock on the door.
“When Lebjane opened, expecting her partner, Monareng shot through the door, fatally wounding the couple (Mashego and Lebjane) before retrieving the bank card from her pocket and fled the scene.”
The NPA said Monareng was later arrested after fingerprints at the crime scene matched his.
In court, State Advocate Senzo Zindela argued that Monareng’s guilty plea was not an act of remorse but a reaction to the overwhelming evidence against him.
“Delivering the sentence, Judge Sheila Msibi highlighted the severe nature of the offences, noting that Monareng had violated the victim's constitutional right to life,” said Nyuswa.
The NPA said Monareng received eight years for housebreaking with intent to commit a crime, 15 years for each count of robbery with aggravating circumstances, 15 years for the murder of one victim, and 24 years for the murder of the other.
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