By Staff Reporter
QWAQWA-The Free State Division of the High Court of South Africa has sentenced 31-year old Teboho Abram Mokoena to life imprisonment for killing his mother, Modiehi Anna Khodumo (65), and dismembering her body in June last year.
Judge Joseph Mhlambi also slapped Mokoena with a five-year imprisonment for stabbing his father, Motsumi Joseph Mokoena, with a knife several times when he tried to confront him. Mokoena was handed a further 12 months imprisonment for malicious damage to property.
According to evidence, on June 7 2022, Motsumi Mokoena went to the deceased’s house looking for her and found the accused in the garage packing the remains of his mother into a plastic bag. When he tried to enquire about what was happening, the accused stabbed him several times.
Police were called to the house, where they made a gruesome discovery when they found a grinder and human remains which had been cut into pieces in the garage. It was believed that the deceased was killed between June 5–7 2022.
The accused is said to have had a tumultuous relationship with his mother because of his alleged use of drugs and constant demands for money.
In aggravation, State Prosecutor, Advocate Nono Mkhabela presented three victim impact statements (VIS) to the court. The VIS were from the daughter, brother, and ex-husband of the deceased.
The daughter stated that she could not perform at university and had to repeat a semester because of the incident and the ex-husband said his son took away the most innocent soul who was not only a pillar of strength to the family but to the community.
Mkhabela told the court that the accused was convicted of three serious offences that are prevalent, not only in the province, but in the entire country and a common denominator of the offences is that they all have the element of violence.
Justice for murder mom Modiehi Anna Khodumo.
She further submitted that the accused did not show any remorse for his actions, and he was clearly motivated by selfishness, a sense of entitlement and greed, and the court must not deviate from the minimum sentence prescribed by the law which will also send a message to would-be killers that the courts will deal with them harshly if they commit such crimes.
