A 50-year-old accused, Golden Mbalati, was sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of a 51-year-old woman. The sentence was handed down by Tzaneen Regional Court on Wednesday, 9 April 2025.
The court heard that, on the 03 February 2021, the accused, a security officer, was on duty at one of the clinics in Bellview when he booked out the company’s firearm and left his place of duty to his place of residence.
When he reached home, he requested the victim (his girlfriend) to accompany him to pick some fruits outside of their residence.
Before they could reach the fruits, the accused grabbed the victim to the nearby bushes, and shot her in the upper body, and left the firearm at the scene and fled the scene on foot.
His colleague became suspicious and reported the incident to the accused’s employer that the accused was last seen leaving the place of duty and never returned.
The victim’s child became also suspicious when his mother did not return home with the accused.
On the way to check his mother, the child noticed the mother lying on the ground unconscious with open gunshot wounds and immediately notified the police.
Emergency Medical Services personnel were also notified. Upon arrival, they certified the victim dead at the scene.
Investigations revealed that the firearm used belonged to the security company and was booked by the suspect a few minutes before committing the offence.
The case was assigned to Detective Constable Lerato Rampedi of Bolobedu Detective Services for investigation.
Through her investigation skills, the accused was arrested in 2022, and bail was denied until he was released by court in 2023.
He was found guilty on 17 March 2025 and sentenced on Wednesday, 09 April 2025, for murder and sentenced to life imprisonment.
The Provincial Commissioner of Police in Limpopo, Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe has welcomed the sentencing and praised the investigating officer, Constable Lerato Rampedi, for working relentlessly to ensure the culprit received a heavy punishment.
