Staff Reporter
Two men from Bochabela township in Bloemfontein have been sentenced to life imprisonment for murder by the Bloemfontein Regional Court.
Olehile Manyakalle and Pule Mogapi were slapped with the jail term for the killing of Obakeng Sefali in a mob justice attack which occurred on September 8, 2019.
The court heard that six men entered the yard of Sefali at around 12 noon and attacked him.
The accused are said to have jumped on top of Sefali when he fell to the ground.
National Prosecuting Authority regional spokesperson Phaladi Shuping said in a statement the men then dragged him out of his yard for about two kilometres and continued with the attack.
“The attack lasted for about 90 minutes,” said Shuping in the statement.
“They accused him of robbing a sister of one of the accused of her cellular phone.
“Only four men were arrested but the other two were granted a discharge from the case in terms of Section 174 of the Criminal Procedure Act.”
State prosecutor Mthunzi Moses, in aggravation of sentence, requested the court to impose life imprisonment on the accused as they failed to convince the court that substantial and compelling circumstances existed for the imposition of a lesser sentence.
Said Moses: “The accused started attacking the deceased in his yard and dragged him for about two kilometres, kicking and punching him.
“They did not listen to anyone who tried to stop them because they thought they were law unto themselves.
“The court should therefore impose harsh punishment on the accused to send a message that acts of vigilantism will not be tolerated.”
The magistrate concurred with the prosecutor that engaging in mob justice is a serious offence and the accused should be punished for their actions.
He subsequently sentenced Manyakalle and Mogapi to life imprisonment.