A South African man was sentenced to life imprisonment for the brutal murder of his 64-year-old mother.
Bongani Thulani Matsane was convicted by the Mpumalanga Division of the High Court on Friday, September 20, 2024.
According to the National Prosecuting Authority, Matsane had accused his mother, Thembi Ngwenya, of practicing witchcraft. In December 2022, he attacked her with a handhoe, set her bedroom on fire, and wiped away the blood.
The accused pleaded guilty but was not shown any leniency due to the severity of the crime. The court considered the victim’s age, the accused’s relationship to the victim, and the cruelty of the act.
Matsane was also sentenced to five years in prison for defeating the ends of justice, but this sentence will run concurrently with his life imprisonment.
The court also declared him unfit to work with elderly people.
