By Libuseng Nyaka
HARRISMITH – The family of murdered Sello Morobe endured fresh trauma during the sentencing of 20-year old Thabiso Mosola, who graphically detailed how he gruesomely killed Morobe – stabbing him to death, beheading him, disposing of his head in a river, and burning his body.
This followed arguments by senior prosecutor Advocate Victor Choane, who rejected Mosola’s age and apology as mitigating factors, insisting they were not sufficient grounds for the court to deviate from the mandated sentence.
“How exactly did you murder the deceased?” Choane asked, seeking to prove that Mosola’s actions were neither immature nor impulsive but premeditated.“I was overwhelmed by emotions because the deceased used to bully me and even threatened to kill me if I reported him,” Mosola told the court.
“I was scared of him when he was heavily drunk. I stabbed him with a sharp knife, sat over him, cut off his head, then transported his lifeless, headless body in a wheelbarrow – along with his head – to a spot where I burned it. Later, I threw his head into the river.”
Mosola also apologized to both the victim’s family and the community for his actions.
However, Choane argued that Mosola had taken advantage of the drunken state of his victim, ensuring his family would struggle to find or identify his remains.“He planned this murder,” Choane told the court.
“He waited until the deceased was drunk, brutally killed him, then burned his body to cover up the evidence, even discarding his head in the river.”
Thabiso Mosola during 30 years sentencing in Harrismith for murder of Sello Morobe.
The victim’s sister, Matshediso Morobe, was overcome with grief upon hearing the gruesome details. She broke down in court, crying uncontrollably before collapsing. She had to be escorted out of the courtroom.
The victim’s uncle, Moferefere Samuel Lebeko, described the devastating impact of the murder on the family.
“It’s the way he was killed that hurts the most – like a dog,” Lebeko said. “We want the court to deliver a just sentence. He must get life imprisonment. His five-year-old child will grow up without a father. His funeral was delayed for almost a month while we searched for his missing head, which was later found.”
On Wednesday, March 12, 2024, the Free State High Court, sitting in Harrismith, sentenced Mosola to 30 years in prison. Judge Joseph Mhlambi concurred with the prosecution, ruling that the murder was not only brutal but also premeditated. He found no compelling personal circumstances to justify a lesser sentence.
Mosola was also declared unfit to possess a firearm.
