A regional court in Mothibistad, Northern Cape province, has sentenced two men to 20 years’ imprisonment each for the 2013 murder of Itumeleng Mabihi, the South African Police Service said.
Madaka Boikanyo Bless, 35, and Nonei Brown Michael, 38, were convicted in the Mothibistad Regional Court for the killing of Mr. Mabihi, 30, according to a statement released by Warrant Officer Molefi Shemane of the South African Police Service in the Northern Cape.
The incident took place on March 28, 2013, at approximately 11 p.m., at a shebeen in Eifell Village, Heuningvlei.
Police from Heuningvlei responded to a murder complaint and found the body of a male with a fatal stab wound upon arrival. The deceased was later identified as Itumeleng Mabihi.
“According to witness testimony, an altercation erupted between Michael and a friend of the deceased,” the police statement said. “When Mabihi attempted to intervene and stop the fight, Michael broke a bottle and stabbed him several times, causing him to collapse to the ground.”
“Bless subsequently joined in the attack and also assaulted and stabbed the deceased while he was lying on the ground,” the statement added.
Both suspects were arrested and charged with murder following an investigation.
Lieutenant General Koliswa Otola, Provincial Commissioner of the Northern Cape, commended Detective Sergeant Tshepiso Bernard Dioka of the Heuningvlei Detective Service.
“The Provincial Commissioner… commended Detective Sergeant Tshepiso Bernard Dioka… for his thorough and meticulous investigation, which led to the successful conviction,” the statement said. “She further applauded the detective for removing two violent perpetrators from society and for ensuring justice and closure for the family of the deceased.”
