This man stabbed his girlfriend several times. She escaped but he chased her down and killed her.
Image: IOL
A 38-year-old man was sentenced to life imprisonment for stabbing his girlfriend to death.
Lebogang Tsinto was sentenced by the North West High Court on Thursday, November 28 for killing Sophy Mphela.
South African Police Service (SAPS) spokesperson Brigadier Sabata Mokgwabone said evidence heard in court showed that the girlfriend went to Tsinto's residence in February 2024 to get their child's clothing since they were having relationship troubles.
However, Tsinto escalated things to a terrifying level.
"On arrival of the victim, the convict stabbed her several times with a knife. The victim consequently fled to her aunt, but the accused followed her and stabbed her again. Mphela was rushed to Northam Clinic where she died," Mokgwabone said.
The incident was reported to the police, and Tsinto was arrested. He has been in jail since his arrest, and his bail application was successfully denied.
Lieutenant General Sello Kwena, the North West Provincial Commissioner, hailed the punishment and praised all members and other stakeholders, especially the prosecution, for their hard efforts to guarantee the accused person's arrest and subsequent conviction for domestic violence-related homicide.
In a similar case, in 2017, Darren Kershaw set alight his girlfriend Yeshnee Kuni, who was 33 at the time, in their shared home, a complex.
Kuni died in the hospital shortly after receiving significant burn wounds.
Kershaw was found guilty in September 2024, and the Western Cape High Court sentenced him to life in prison for murder and three years for arson. The sentences will run concurrently.
Kuni's younger sister, Ushanta Gangen, said the family was pleased with the sentencing and that justice had been served.
"Nothing will bring my sister back, but at least he has been held responsible for what he had done to her. He also had absolutely no remorse, showed no regret or sorrow at all, right to the very end of his sentencing," she said.
IOL