A South African woman, Onthantile Sebati, has been found guilty of organising the brutal murders of her parents, and two siblings in 2016.
Onthantile, who was 15 years
old at the time of the crime, paid her two cousins, Tumelo Mokone and Kagiso
Mokone, R50,000 each from monies she received as payouts following her family
members' deaths.
The trio, who appeared in the
High Court in Pretoria on Wednesday, January 24, 2024, were charged with
murder, theft, robbery with aggravating circumstances, possession of a firearm
and ammunition.
The National Prosecuting
Authority (NPA) spokesperson in Gauteng Division, Pretoria, Lumka Mahanjana, in
a statement on Thursday, January 25, said Onthantile conspired with her
co-accused to kill her police officer father, nurse mother, as well as her
19-year-old pregnant sister and six-year-old brother.
“The Pretoria High Court found
three accused Tumelo Mokone (24), Kagiso Mokone (24), and Onthantile Sebati
(21,) guilty of four counts of murder, theft, robbery with aggravating
circumstances, possession of a firearm and possession of ammunition,” the
statement read.
"This is after the state
was able to adduce evidence, that Sebati conspired with her two male friends to
kill her family members while the family was at their home in Mmakau, in the
Northwest Province.
"During the day on 06
December 2016, the two went to Sebati's house to collect her father’s firearm.
In the evening of that same day, they returned to the house.
"Sebati went outside
pretending to dispose of water but went to open the gate for the two and gave
Kagiso her father’s car keys that was parked outside. Tumelo then proceeded to
enter the house where he shot and killed Sebatis 42-year-old father, a
40-year-old mother, a 19-year-old pregnant sister and her 6-year-old brother.
"The two then drove off in
the vehicle belonging to Sebati’s father. However, they abandoned the vehicle
after it got stuck in the mud a few meters away from the house.
"On 17 December 2021,
Sepati handed herself to the police and made a confession which led to the
arrest of Tumelo and Kagiso on 18 December 2021.
"After their arrest the
two also made confessions to the police, stating the role they each played the
night Sebati’s family was killed.
"However, during the
trial, they all pleaded not guilty to the charges and disputed the confessions.
After the trial within a trial, the judge ruled that the confessions were
admissible.
"Prosecutor Advocate Eric
Sihlangu then led evidence that indeed Sepati organised a hit against her
family and paid the two R50 000 each for the job.
"Furthermore, Kagiso was
also linked to the offence by his fingerprints which were found in the car.
"During the judgment, the
judge agreed with the state that it had overwhelming evidence against the three
and the state was able to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt. Therefore,
the three were found guilty of all the charges preferred against them.
“The matter was postponed to
16-19 April 2024, for sentencing proceedings.”
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