A family of five have been sentenced to a collective 102 years behind bars for the brutal murder of a Limpopo woman they accused of witchcraft.
Police have reported that the murder case reached its end on Tuesday with the family being sentenced at the Limpopo High Court in Thohoyandou.
They were found guilty of murdering Catherine Nkovani‚ 52‚ earlier this month.
In April 2014 community members from Thomo village in Giyani accused Nkovani of witchcraft after a younger member of her family died due to natural causes.
Madala Nkuna‚ 39‚ Vonani Nkuna‚ 24‚ Ntokoza Nkuna‚ 39‚ Christopher Nkuna‚ 32 and Ernest Nkuna‚ 27‚ assaulted and stoned Nkovani before dousing her body with petrol and setting her alight. She later died in hospital.
The five Nkuna family members were subsequently arrested in connection with the murder.
Madala and Vonani both received life sentences‚ police said. Ntokoza and Ernest were sentenced to 16 years behind
bars each‚ while Christopher will be locked away for 20 years.
South African Police Service’s (SAPS) Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant General Nneke Ledwaba said that the strong sentence should serve as a deterrent to members of the community not to accuse innocent people of wrongdoing and then brutally murder them.
Limpopo family jailed for brutal murder of 'witch'
A family of five have been sentenced to a collective 102 years behind bars for the brutal murder of a Limpopo woman they accused of witchcraft.
Police have reported that the murder case reached its end on Tuesday with the family being sentenced at the Limpopo High Court in Thohoyandou.
They were found guilty of murdering Catherine Nkovani‚ 52‚ earlier this month.
In April 2014 community members from Thomo village in Giyani accused Nkovani of witchcraft after a younger member of her family died due to natural causes.
Madala Nkuna‚ 39‚ Vonani Nkuna‚ 24‚ Ntokoza Nkuna‚ 39‚ Christopher Nkuna‚ 32 and Ernest Nkuna‚ 27‚ assaulted and stoned Nkovani before dousing her body with petrol and setting her alight. She later died in hospital.
The five Nkuna family members were subsequently arrested in connection with the murder.
Madala and Vonani both received life sentences‚ police said. Ntokoza and Ernest were sentenced to 16 years behind
bars each‚ while Christopher will be locked away for 20 years.
South African Police Service’s (SAPS) Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant General Nneke Ledwaba said that the strong sentence should serve as a deterrent to members of the community not to accuse innocent people of wrongdoing and then brutally murder them.
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