He pleaded not guilty to all charges against him, but the state was able to prove otherwise.
A Limpopo teacher has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for the 2022 murder of his estranged wife, her boyfriend and her daughter.
The High Court in Polokwane ordered 61-year-old Wilfred Moruthanyane Nkadimeng to be jailed on the three counts of murder and for the attempted murder of a neighbour.
Nkadimeng was slapped with a total of 83 years for his crimes, which he will serve concurrently over 25 years.
In addition, the court declared him unfit to possess a firearm.
State proves guilt
While Nkadimeng pleaded not guilty to all charges brought against him during his trial, the state was able to prove otherwise.
According to evidence presented in court, Nkadimeng fatally shot his estranged wife Themia Clara Morema at a residence following an argument on 26 September 2022 in Bothashoek.
He then turned the gun in Morema’s boyfriend Tlou Solomon who had arrived at the scene, fatally wounding him.
He later shot and killed his stepdaughter, Nomasonto Morema, and also fired at a tenant but missed.
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Community members called the police who arrived to find three lifeless bodies about 11pm.
Nkadimeng had left the scene but was later traced and arrested.
Family devastation
National Prosecuting Authority regional spokesperson Mashudu Malabi-Dzhangi said in aggravation of sentence, deputy director of public prosecutions Lethabo Mashiane led victim impact statements compiled by court preparation officer Morongwe Moifo.
The statements highlighted the devastating effect of the murders.
“The court heard how Themia was the pillar of her family, described as the glue that held them together,” Malabi-Dzhangi said on Wednesday.
“The tragic deaths of both mother and daughter left the family shattered and forced them to assume responsibility for raising Themia’s child and grandchildren,” she said.
‘We will be vigorous in our pursuit’
Malabi-Dzhangi said Mashiane argued that the offences were premeditated, committed within the context of domestic violence and that Nkadimeng’s refusal to acknowledge the harm he caused further justified a severe sentence.
Welcoming the sentence, Limpopo director of public prosecutions Ivy Thenga said: “It can never be overemphasised how important human life is and therefore we will be vigorous in our pursuit of these cases to serve as a deterrent to would-be murderers.”
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