Watch Live Sentencing of Sandile Mantsoe, Found Guilty of Killing Girlfriend Karabo Mokoena
The court has found Sandile Mantsoe guilty of killing his 22-year-old girlfriend, Karabo Mokoena. The shocking murder made headlines last year and raised awareness about abuse of women in South Africa. The convicted murderer was accused of burning Mokoena’s body beyond recognition, and dumping it in the veld in Lyndhurst. Mantsoe claimed that Mokoena committed […]
The court has found Sandile Mantsoe guilty of killing his 22-year-old girlfriend, Karabo Mokoena. The shocking murder made headlines last year and raised awareness about abuse of women in South Africa.
The convicted murderer was accused of burning Mokoena’s body beyond recognition, and dumping it in the veld in Lyndhurst.
Mantsoe claimed that Mokoena committed suicide at his home in Sandton and that he did not kill her.
Despite pleading not guilty, he did however admit that he used petrol and pool acid before setting the body alight.
Acting Judge Peet Johnson said “the deceased did not have a tendency to commit suicide, did not attempt it, and did not commit it and that the accused killed her”.
He said: “If Mokoena had indeed committed suicide as alleged by Mantsoe, there would have been no reason for him to conceal that.”
Johnson stressed the fact that why would Mantsoe have felt the need to dispose of Mokoena’s body if he had not murdered her.
The judge said “the accused went about very meticulously covering up his deed after the deceased was killed on April 28 2017. He apparently showed no emotion throughout because if he had, this would have been put to witness.
“He also planned the disposal of the body carefully. The court has a strong suspicion that he might have planned her death. Without more concrete evidence, the only reasonable inference is that he did not plan to kill the deceased. He may have acted in that way to conceal what he had done,” said Johnson.
The married father of three was also found guilty of assault and defeating the end of justice. Mantsoe is due to be sentenced in the Johannesburg High Court on Thursday. Watch live below.
WATCH the sentencing of Mantsoe live:
The words of a man who:
– abandoned his 7 months pregnant wife
– failed to support another baby mama
– repeatedly abused Karabo, who tried to use HER money to bail him out of his huge "scams".
– killed Karabo, destroyed her body, liedThis is beyond sick. https://t.co/gAyZAdcfO1
— Karyn Maughan (@karynmaughan) May 3, 2018