MOJALEFA Simon Mokoena will spend 25 years in prison for killing a lesbian.
He was sentenced by the Pretoria High Court, sitting in Palm Ridge, on Wednesday, 22 June.
Mokoena (57) was sentenced to 25 years direct imprisonment.
According to NPA’s Gauteng spokeswoman Lumka Mahanjana, Mokoena was sentenced to 25 years for pre-meditated murder, eight years for attempted murder and five years for two counts of assault.
“The judge ordered that the sentence run concurrently,” she said.
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“Mokoena was also found unfit to possess a firearm.”
She said on 12 February 2021, the deceased, Bonang Precious Gaelae, and her partner, Fracinah Mohanoe, who is also a complainant in the matter, had gone to buy airtime at a tuck shop inside a yard that Mokoena owned.
“An altercation broke out between the couple and Mokoena. Mokoena assaulted the couple, who decided to leave and go buy the airtime elsewhere. As they left, Mokoena went to his house to get a knife and waited for them.
“As they were approaching, he threw a brick at them, which hit Mohanoe. He proceeded to stab her and her partner. Community members intervened, called the police and took the couple to the nearby hospital where Gaelae was pronounced dead on arrival due to stab wounds,” she said.
“Mokoena was arrested the following day after Mohanoe did a pointing out to the police. He has been in custody since. In the Victim Impact Statement, the mother of the deceased said she is hurt because she lost her only child who left behind her two minor children.
“Mohanoe said she is hurt because not only did she lose the love of her life, she suffered financially because of her medical costs and is now suffering psychologically after she was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder,”said Mahanjana.
Meanwhile, Advocate Salome Scheepers, told the court gender-based violence and hate crimes are a profound and widespread problem in South Africa, impacting on almost every aspect of life.
Scheepers added that they are a violation of human rights.
“The accused was not provoked but targeted defenceless women even after they left his premises,” said Scheepers.
She asked the court to impose a sentence that will send a message to the community.
Moreover, the Director of Public Prosecutions, Advocate Sibongile Mzinyathi, thanked the assistance of the community and the role they played, together with the investigating officer who led the conviction and sentence.
Mzinyathi said she hoped the sentence would send a message that hate crimes would not be tolerated.
