Acting Judge Peet Johnson has sentenced Sandile Mantsoe to a total of 32 years in prison – 30 years was for the murder of Karabo Mokoena, five years for assault, and four years for defeating the ends of justice
Earlier in the day Mantsoe took the stand in the Johannesburg High Court where sentencing proceedings got underway. He insisted he did not kill Karabo Mokoena.
Mantsoe was on Wednesday found guilty of murdering his ex-lover,whose charred remains were found in an open veld in the eastern suburb of Lyndhurst in April last year.
He was also found guilty of assault and defeating the ends of justice for disposing of Mokoena’s body.
Mantsoe apologised to the Mokoena family, his family and society.
“To her friends, to many people who look up to me, burning Karabo was a short coming on my side. I accept whatever the court rules going foward,” says Mantsoe.
Meanwhile, the ANC Women’s League has called on the High Court in Johannesburg to hand down a maximum jail sentence to Sandile Mantsoe for the murder of his girlfriend, with no option of a parole.
The Women’s League says no judge must have a single iota of mercy when sentencing.
The League has further congratulated the State for getting a conviction on Mantsoe saying this is for the sake of Karabo and many women who are abused and killed daily in South Africa.
Meanwhile Mokoena’s mother broke down as she took the stand and testified about her daughter’s death. Mokoena says she can still hear Karabo calling her. She says she screamed when a police officer told her about her daughter’s death.
She says Mantsoe was the only guy Karabo had brought home.
“The people she dated had not been good to her. Karabo had always said she would bring home a God fearing man but when I met Mantsoe I was not convinced about him. He did not look people in the eye.”
She says she still feels like it happened yesterday and she can still hear Karabo calling her MaMokoena saying she loved Mantsoe.
