Mapiti Matsena murder accused found guilty
Monoko Francis Thoko was found guilty of murdering the member of Gauteng provincial legislature in his Doornpoort home.
The 29-year-old man accused of the murder of politician Mapiti Matsena was found guilty in the North Gauteng High Court on Wednesday.
Monoko Francis Thoko was also found guilty of housebreaking with intent to murder.
Matsena, 54 at the time of his death, was at his Doornpoort, north of Pretoria, home along Holy Rock Road when Thoko was said to have broken into his bedroom.
“Thoko pleaded guilty to the charges of murder and housebreaking with intent to murder,” National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Lumka Manhanjana said.
“When he gained entry, he found Matsena’s wife in the room while he [Matsena] was in another part of the house,” Manhanjana explained,.
When Matsena’s wife saw Thoko, she started screaming.
Thoko then reportedly told her to be quiet and covered her with a blanket.
“Upon Matsena returning to the room, he found Thoko and they started fighting. Thoko stabbed him multiple times and he died on the spot,” Manhanjana said.
Thoko was arrested in the Limpopo province after he fled, just days after he committed the crime on 15 July 2020.
The case was postponed to 19 July for sentencing.
At the time of his death, Matsena was a member of the Gauteng provincial legislature and served as the chairperson of the portfolio committee on community safety.
He was also a member of the portfolio committee on infrastructure development and property management.
Matsena was laid to rest in the Limpopo province on 24 July 2020.
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