The Provincial Commissioner of Limpopo Lieutenant General Nneke Ledwaba has welcomed yet another long jail term handed down by the High Court in Polokwane today, Wednesday 01 July 2020 against a 29-year-old accused, Matome Floyd Seliti for murdering a 24-year-old woman, Clara Machaka.
The accused was given 24 years imprisonment for murder, 11 years for robbery with aggravating circumstances, and an additional 02 years imprisonment for defeating the cause of justice.
These sentences resulted from the incident where the accused brutally killed a woman believed to be his girlfriend at Broekman village outside Senwabarwana.
The incident happened on 16 April 2018 at about 10.00 after the accused believed to be the victim’s boyfriend at the time, raped, and stabbed her with a sharp object. Afterward, the accused buried her body in a shallow grave in the nearby bushes.
The Police commenced with their investigations until the accused was arrested on 23 April 2018. After thorough investigations, the Police successfully uncovered the deceased’s body buried in a shallow grave in the secluded area near this village.
The accused was also declared unfit to possess a firearm.
“As we are currently confronting the scourge of Gender-Based Violence, sentences like these should send a clear message that the police will be forthright when dealing with perpetrators of violence against women,” said General Ledwaba. “We take this time to commend all members who were involved in the investigation of this case for ensuring that the accused was brought to book,” concluded General Ledwaba.