A 29-year-old Zimbabwean national has been sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of 16-year-old Modjadji Niccol Thoka, whose body was dismembered and hidden at different locations in Botlokwa, Limpopo.
The Polokwane High Court sentenced Tatenda Sithole to life imprisonment, with an additional 13 years for defeating the ends of justice and violating a corpse. The court ordered the sentences to run concurrently, resulting in an effective sentence of life imprisonment.
Sithole was also declared unfit to possess a firearm.
National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Mashudu Malabi welcomed the sentence, describing it as an important step in holding those responsible for the killing accountable.
Teenager killed after leaving home
Malabi said the court heard that on January 5, 2024, Sithole, who worked as a traditional healer, met Modjadji after she had left her home to visit a nearby spaza shop.
Sithole took the teenager to an unused house, where she was killed.
Thereafter, Sithole and his accomplice, Brian, who has already been sentenced, dismembered her body and concealed the remains at different locations, including in a shallow pit.
The State said that some of the remains were intended for ritual purposes.
A few days later, community members discovered the remains, prompting a police investigation that eventually led to Sithole's arrest.
Sithole pleaded not guilty to all the charges during the trial.
State highlights family's suffering
During sentencing proceedings, Malabi said the State Advocate Eric Mabapa, presented a victim impact statement compiled by court preparation officer Morongwe Moifo, detailing the devastating impact of the crime on Modjadji's family.
The State argued that the circumstances surrounding the teenager's killing were particularly cruel and had deepened the family's suffering.
The family was also deprived of the opportunity to give Modjadji a proper burial because of the manner in which her remains were concealed.
Mabapa further submitted that the killing of women in South Africa remained a serious concern and that courts needed to send a strong message that the taking of human life would not be tolerated.
NPA welcomes sentence
The Director of Public Prosecutions in Limpopo, Advocate Ivy Thenga, welcomed the sentence and stressed the importance of protecting human life.
"It can never be overemphasised how important human life is. We will remain vigorous in our pursuit of these cases to serve as a deterrent to would-be murderers," Thenga said.
She also commended Mabapa and the investigating officer, Sergeant Sindane of the Provincial Detectives, for their work in securing Sithole's conviction and sentence.
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