Traditional healer accused of murder and robbery gets hefty sentence
ZEBEDIELA – A 51 year-old man, Tinyiko Tony Simango was handed down a hefty sentence by the Limpopo Division of the High Court on Wednesday, 09 November 2022 for the brutal murder of 65 year-old Phokgedi Lekau of Ga-Mphahlele Village outside Lebowakgomo.
After hearing details of how the traditional healer killed his client at the time he visited his practice at Hlakamo Village in Zebediela for consultation on Sunday, 02 May 2022, the trial court reached its decision to convict the accused.
The court heard that the two drove to the bushes near Groothoek to perform rituals and upon arrival, the accused hit the victim with a wheel spanner, killing him instantly, and then drove off in the robbed motor vehicle.
“The accused is said to have drove around the nearby villages trying to sell the deceased’s vehicle but failed. A few days later, the tracker company contacted the deceased’s family when they could not reach him after they noticed that the battery was disconnected. That’s when the family went to Lebowakgomo police station to report the matter. A case of missing person was opened and police commenced with the search operation for the missing man,” explained Colonel Malesela Ledwaba, Limpopo Provincial Police Spokesperson.
Ledwaba added that the accused was arrested the same week on 07 May, while admitted at hospital after the vehicle overturned following a speed car chase with the tracking company.
He said that the accused then confessed to killing the victim and further took the police to the scene of the crime where the body was found already in a state of decomposition.
“The missing person case was consequently changed into murder and robbery. Detective Sergeant Mmabatho Ledwaba of Zebediela detectives was assigned and took over the investigation,” further said Ledwaba.
The accused was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment for murder and 12 years imprisonment for robbery with aggravating circumstances. The court ordered the sentences to run concurrently, which means the accused will serve an effective 20 years imprisonment.
The Provincial Commissioner, Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe appreciated the investigating officer, Sergeant Ledwaba for the outstanding work.
