The Supreme Court of Appeal in Bloemfontein lengthened Portia Tsotetsi’s sentence on 9 June for killing her husband, Mr Bednock Sithathu, and Mr Dumisani Ngubeni respectively in February and May 2012.

Tsotetsi was sentenced to two life sentences in the North Gauteng High Court and appealed to a higher court.

The life sentences now entail that Tsotetsi will only be eligible for parole after serving 50 years, 25 years for each offense.

The court in Pretoria initially sentenced her on 1 February 2016 to two 40 year terms of imprisonment, running concurrently, on the two counts of murder.

Tsotetsi would have been eligible for parole after serving 20 years.

Mr Sithathu was originally from Tweeling and a teacher at Stanwest Combined School at the time of his death.

According to the police, Mr Sithathu was in the process of filing for divorce.

Tsotetsi was not alone when committing the crimes.

She hired Mr Ngubeni to assist her, promising to pay him R15 000, but reneged.

Read more on this in the next edition of the Standerton Advertiser.