South Africa: Nelspruit Police Elated Over Hefty Sentence on Multiple Murderer

The Police management in Mpumalanga has commended what it termed a ‘well-deserved’ sentence meted against a 38 year old murderer.
The sentence was handed down, on Tuesday, by the Mpumalanga Division of the High Court which was sitting at Middelburg.
A release issued by Brigadier Leonard Hlathi, said that the Court heard how Teboho Thokoane notoriously known as ‘Maphoshane’ was on 12 October, 2017, involved in a horrifying shooting spree which occurred in Ogies outside Witbank, where five people sadly lost their precious lives.
On that fateful day, the court heard that four armed men hired a vehicle, drove from Evander and proceeded to Steyn Farm in Ogies whereupon arrival, they opened fire, instantly killing four farm residents before fleeing the scene. Other two victims who happened to be at the massacre, were ferried to hospital with gunshot wounds also where one, unfortunately succumbed to his injuries meanwhile the other victim fortunately survived.
The matter was then brought to the attention of the police and a case with five counts of murder was opened as well as an additional charge of attempted murder.
This heartless incident prompted the Provincial Commissioner of Police in Mpumalanga, Lieutenant General Mondli Zuma, to issue an instruction that a tracing team be assembled to investigate this horrendous act.
The relentless, sharp as tack members of the team worked tirelessly and followed all possible leads which led to the arrest of Thokoane, where he had sequestered himself at Evander near Secunda.
Unbeknown to him that the dignified blue will blow the covers of his villainous activities and bring them to the plain. As a result, Thokoane’s ruse drew a blank. Whilst looking for the remaining suspects, the investigation team was notified of a fight that took place at Evander where all three of them were killed.
Thokoane, who is a Lesotho National, was trialed and on 15 December 2020, he was found guilty on all the murders as well as attempted murder, one count of illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition respectively.
His sentencing as follows, “Thokoane was given five life sentences for the five murders he committed, 10 years imprisonment for attempted murder.”
He was further sentenced to seven years to languish in prison for the illegal possession of firearm and two years for the ammunition.
The attempted murder and illegal possession of a firearm as well as ammunition charges, will run concurrently with the five life sentences. The accused was also found to be permanently unfit to possess a firearm.
The police management believes that the sentence will send a strong warning to criminals that their unlawful actions will eventually land them behind bars for a very long time just like Thokoane.