Four years after decapitating his three-year-old daughter and discarding her head in a stream, a Gauteng man has been sentenced to 25 years behind bars.
Police spokesperson Lt-Col Mavela Masondo said the sentence was handed down in the South Gauteng High Court on Wednesday.
“On January 24, 2017, the deceased was left by her grandmother with her father, Musi Hlatshwayo, to be taken to preschool.
“The father, aged 24, then killed his daughter and decapitated her.
“He threw the head into a stream and put the body on a tree branch in Vosloorus.
“A missing child was reported with the police. The search was launched and the body was recovered after five days in an open veld. The police traced and arrested the father,” said Masondo.
Gauteng provincial commissioner Lt-Gen Elias Mawela welcomed the sentence.
“We congratulate the detective for the hard work and thorough investigation that led to the successful conviction of the accused.
“The fight against crime committed against women and children remains on top of the Gauteng police's list of priorities.
“We are pleased with this successful conviction and believe it will send a strong message to those who abuse children,” said Mawela.
TimesLIVE
Gauteng father jailed for 25 years for decapitating his child
Four years after decapitating his three-year-old daughter and discarding her head in a stream, a Gauteng man has been sentenced to 25 years behind bars.
Police spokesperson Lt-Col Mavela Masondo said the sentence was handed down in the South Gauteng High Court on Wednesday.
“On January 24, 2017, the deceased was left by her grandmother with her father, Musi Hlatshwayo, to be taken to preschool.
“The father, aged 24, then killed his daughter and decapitated her.
“He threw the head into a stream and put the body on a tree branch in Vosloorus.
“A missing child was reported with the police. The search was launched and the body was recovered after five days in an open veld. The police traced and arrested the father,” said Masondo.
Gauteng provincial commissioner Lt-Gen Elias Mawela welcomed the sentence.
“We congratulate the detective for the hard work and thorough investigation that led to the successful conviction of the accused.
“The fight against crime committed against women and children remains on top of the Gauteng police's list of priorities.
“We are pleased with this successful conviction and believe it will send a strong message to those who abuse children,” said Mawela.
TimesLIVE