Convicted murderer sentenced to 25 years

A man convicted of the murder of Veronica Sebopela who was strangled in her home in Lekgwareng village for a cell phone last November, was sentenced to 25 years in prison by the Limpopo High Court last Wednesday.
Peter Selema reportedly strangled the 70-year-old granny to death and then robbed her cell phone.
The 40-year-old convicted murderer did not show any remorse in court during mitigation of sentencing as he mentioned that he would say ‘it is God’s will’ if his mother was killed by criminals in the same manner.

He was responding to a question asked by prosecutor Lethabo Mashiane. During a 15 minute court break, the convicted murderer shouted and threatened to attack a journalist for taking pictures of him. Selema was sentenced to 15 years for murder and 10 years for robbery with two years suspended.
A summary of Selema’s statement as read by Judge Matsaro Semenya reads: “On 13 November 2018 at around 19:30 I was at the deceased’s house and I asked her to give me a beer. After consuming the beverage I left but later went back to her house to request another one but she refused. I pushed her to the ground and when she produced a cell phone I strangled her and took the device in fear that she will call her relatives.”
It was reported that the deceased had hired Selema to plaster her house. Sebopela’s cousin, Mamogale Masemola informed Polokwane Observer that the deceased was staying alone and described her as a kind and loving person.
She said her cousin did not deserve to die in such a gruesome manner and further alleged that Selema had planned the whole thing as Sebopela had just collected her social grant money.
“Selema was just lying since the beginning of the case. My cousin was a Christian and she never sold beer. He never started plastering the house. He came to the yard, mixed the cement and left promising to return the following day to do the work but on the same night he killed the old lady and never showed his face as promised. This was a premeditated murder with a mission for robbery money not a cell phone only because on 13 November last year was social grant pay day,” Masemola stressed.
She further stressed that Selema deserved a life sentence and reckoned that the death penalty should be reintroduced for perpetrators of such gruesome offenses.

Story/photos: ENDY SENYATSI
>>endy@observer.co.za