The Clocolan Magistrates Court has sentenced a 28-year-old man to an effective 10 years’ imprisonment after he was found guilty of murdering his friend two years ago.
According to a National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) statement, Magistrate Johan van Zyl sentenced Thabo Paulus Machedi for stabbing Tiisetso Nchaka, 22, to death on April 25, 2020.
The court heard that on the day of the incident, Machedi and the Nchaka were drinking at a local tavern when they had an argument and Nchaka left but Machedi followed him.
An argument ensued between the them on the street and Machedi took out a knife and stabbed Nchaka twice, in the neck and at the back.
“He died as a result of the stab wound to the neck,” said NPA regional spokesperson Phaladi Shuping in the statement.
Machedi told court that he acted in self-defence because he was attacked by Nchaka.
His version was shot down by the prosecutor because state witnesses told the court that Machedi followed Nchaka after leaving the tavern and Nchaka was not armed.
Shuping said state prosecutor Marie Yzel urged the court to reject the version of the accused because he contradicted himself on material aspects and his version was possibly and reasonably not true.
Yzel further stated that the tavern owner testified that Machedi was aggressive to Nchaka and he followed Nchaka when he left the tavern.
“The accused claims that he acted in self-defence but there is no evidence that the deceased attacked him,” said Yzel.
“He had a knife and the deceased was not armed and he used that knife to stab him twice.
“What exacerbates the matter is that the incident took place during the hard lock down, when people were not allowed to be roaming the streets and even after he was convicted, he still maintained that he acted in self-defence which could be an indication that rehabilitation will be a challenge because he is not taking responsibility for his actions.” – Staff Reporter