Man who killed elderly woman for R36 gets life in prison

The Mpumalanga Division of the high court sitting in Middleburg has sentenced Nick Kolokoto Mpolokeng to life imprisonment for killing an 83 year old woman Elizabeth Kolokoto.

The court also sentenced Mpolokeng to six years imprisonment for arson and five years for housebreaking and theft for the incident that occurred in May 2012.

According to police, it transpired during investigation that Mpolokeng was from the local tavern when he planned to rob the old lady who was staying alone on the same street with him at Phake Village.

Murder plot

It is said that he recruited his friend to accompany him.

On the way they met another person who convinced the friend to go with him, leaving Mpolokeng alone.

“Even though he was alone, he carried out his mission as planned” police spokesperson Brigadier Selvy Mohlala said.

The investigation, according to police, further revealed that Mpolokeng went straight to the old woman’s house where he gained entrance to the yard through jumping the fence, broke her bedroom window and then entered the house.

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He found Kolokoto already awake and demanded money from her and when she indicated that she had no money the accused assaulted her, banged Kolokoto against the wall until she fell down.

He ransacked the house only to come out with R36.00, Mohlala said.

“It also transpired that [Mpolokeng] set the paper alight and threw it under the granny’s bed before he left. The house burnt into ashes with the granny inside. [Mpolokeng] then went home, changed his clothes and went inside a pit toilet where he burnt his clothes which had some bloodstained,” Mohlala said.

Bloody shoes

Mpolokeng, Mohlala said, went to sleep but, the next morning, he realised that his running shoes had blood stains so he threw them in the pit toilet to conceal the evidence.

Police were summoned to the crime scene where they only found the human skull which was identified by Mpolokeng’s brother

He said police investigators put all their efforts to ensure that they find the one responsible for the incident.

Mohlala said in the end their hard work paid off as the investigation led them to Mpolokeng, who later admitted that his bloodstained running shoes were thrown inside the pit toilet.

He said that was the beginning of a major breakthrough which enabled police, through forensic investigation, to nail Mpolokeng.

Mohlala said Mpolokeng was positively linked to the crime and he finally admitted to have killed Kolokoto, the robbery and arson.

“The court found him guilty hence the hefty sentence handed down. The Provincial Commissioner of the SAPS in Mpumalanga, Lieutenant General Semakaleng Daphney Manamela was elated by the professionalism displayed by the investigation team,” he said.

Mohlala said Manamela expressed her sincere gratitude to the Prosecution team and the Judiciary for putting the Mpolokeng behind bars, “where he belongs for the longest time”

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