Hefty sentence for Bushbuckridge man who killed couple

Witness Monareng (28) from Bushbuckridge was recently sentenced to a total of 77 years’ imprisonment for killing a couple and committing other crimes, including housebreaking with 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.

According to Mpumalanga NPA spokesperson Monica Nyuswa, Monareng pleaded guilty to all charges.

“On February 5, Monareng and 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 police matched his fingerprints to evidence found at the crime scene.

“In court, state Adv 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 victims’ constitutional right to life,” Nyuswa said.

The court also declared Monareng unfit to possess a firearm.