By Teboho Moloi
QWAQWA – A 16-year-old boy has been sentenced to 15 years’ direct imprisonment for the cold-blooded murder of his mother, stepfather, and a five-year-old child in a case that shocked the Free State.
The Harrismith High Court handed down the sentence on Monday, 11 August, following the January 11, 2024 killings in Mankweng, Makwane.
Police were first alerted when the teenager was spotted driving his stepfather’s vehicle and allegedly carrying a firearm. Officers traced him and escorted him to his home—where they made a gruesome discovery.
Free State police spokesperson Sergeant Mahlomola Kareli said officers found a garden spade with apparent bloodstains in the kitchen. In the main bedroom lay the bodies of the boy’s 42-year-old mother and 64-year-old stepfather, both shot in the head.
The horror deepened when a further search uncovered the body of a five-year-old child. “The child had been hacked with an axe and stabbed with a garden fork,” Kareli said.
Potential murder weapons, including a bloodstained axe and garden fork, were found hidden on top of a wardrobe.
During trial, the court heard how the teenager carried out the attacks before stealing his stepfather’s car and firearm. The motive was not disclosed.
The boy was sentenced to:
• 15 years for each of three counts of murder
• 2 years for assault
• 5 years for unlawful possession of a firearm
• 3 years for unlawful possession of ammunition
5 years for theftHowever, Judge ruled that the assault, theft, and firearm-related sentences would run concurrently with the 15-year murder sentence, meaning the boy will serve 15 years in total.
The investigation was led by Warrant Officer Thabang Mbele of the Provincial Murder and Robbery Unit in Phuthaditjhaba.
The killings have left the quiet rural community reeling, with residents describing the crime as “unthinkable” and “inhuman.”
Police have urged communities to seek help in resolving domestic tensions before they escalate into violence.
