A dramatic and intense court case unfolded in the Mpumalanga High Court sitting in Middelburg on Monday, as Lerato Bridget Rapeio (22) faced charges for the brutal murder of primary school teacher Grace Tebogo Sebothoma (64).
The murder took place on September 6, 2023, in Loding Village near Vaalbank.

Rapeio and her co-accused, who was 15 years old at the time of the murder, allegedly committed the senseless murder in the teacher’s home.
The 16-year-old girl pleaded guilty last August and is currently serving an 18-year prison sentence at a youth facility.

The teenager also received a 10-year sentence for robbery with aggravating circumstances.
The court ordered the two sentences to run concurrently.

The teenager’s testimony

In her statement to the court, she said she had been suspended from school due to the use of a cellphone and subsequently sent to her grandmother’s place.
Her grandmother allegedly told her to ‘sort it out’.

As she was walking about in the village, she met Rapeio, who told her that she had an idea on how they could make money.
The two girls went to the teacher’s house. A neighbour reportedly said that they asked when the teacher would be home and also saw them waiting outside the house.

The young girl told the court that Rapeio told her that she was going to get knives, and she returned with three knives.
The teenager said Rapeio told her to follow her lead when the teacher returned home.

When the teacher opened the door to her home, she was stabbed more than 20 times.
Her body was dragged to the back of the house to an outside building, where her bloody body was covered with a blanket.

In her admittance, the young girl said they then took a mop and other materials and cleaned the house.

All that was missing from the teacher’s house was R20, which was in her wallet, and two cellphones.
The knives which were used to kill her were later found in a pit toilet outside the house.

Her silver Hyundai was also taken during the murder. When the police went to the house after neighbours called them when they saw suspects driving away with her car, they found spots of blood outside, which led them to the body of the teacher behind her home.

The next day, the two girls decided to return the stolen car. Neighbours recognised the girls and the vehicle, and they were apprehended on the spot.

Rapeio’s grandmother’s testimony

• On Monday, Rapeio’s grandmother was called to the stand by the defence attorney.
She told the court that on September 6, 2023, on the day of the murder, her granddaughter went to school.
She remembers waking her up to go to school and ensuring she entered the school gate.

Rapeio returned home at about 11:00 and went out again at about 14:00.
Rapeio’s grandmother said she couldn’t read or write and was estimating the time, which led to confusion in the courtroom.

Her grandmother said when Rapeio returned home at about 15:00, she did her house chores, they had dinner, watched TV until 21:00, and went to bed.
She said on the day of her granddaughter’s arrest, she was under the impression that her granddaughter went to school as usual.

She overheard passersby say Rapeio was arrested.

The matter was postponed to December 3 for more witnesses.

• The Middelburg Observer approached the family of the victim, who declined to speak to the newspaper, saying they are too disturbed by the incident.