Bushbuckridge man sentenced to 77 years for double murder and other crimes

Witness Monareng (28) from Bushbuckridge was recently sentenced to a total of 77 years’ imprisonment for killing a couple, as well as some other crimes. These include housebreaking with the intent to commit a crime and two counts of robbery with aggravating circumstances.

He received eight years for the housebreaking, 15 years for each robbery, 15 years for one murder and 24 years for the other one.

According to the Mpumalanga spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority, Monica Nyuswa, Monareng pleaded guilty to all the crimes.

“On February 5, Monareng and some unidentified accomplices forcefully entered the home of Albert Mashego in Violet Bank Trust. He demanded money, cellphones and a bank card. When Mashego informed them that his bank card was with his girlfriend, Victoria Mmathapelo Lebjane, in Zoekenog Trust, Monareng forced him to call her to arrange a retrieval. Upon arrival at Lebjane’s residence, Monareng ordered Mashego to knock on the door. When she opened, expecting her partner, Monareng fired shots, fatally wounding them both. before retrieving the bank card from her pocket and fleeing the scene,” she said.

Monareng was apprehended after the police had matched his fingerprints to some evidence found on the crime scene.

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“In court, the state advocate, Senzo Zindela, argued that Monareng’s guilty plea was not an act of remorse, but a reaction to the overwhelming evidence against him. Zindela emphasised the gravity of the crimes and the devastating impact on the victims’ families. Delivering the sentence, Judge Sheila Msibi highlighted the severe nature of the offences, noting that Monareng had violated the victim’s constitutional right to life,” Nyuswa said.

Additionally, the court declared the convict unfit to possess a firearm.