A 36-year-old woman named Ramatsela Ramushu has been sentenced to life in prison for the brutal murder of her boyfriend, Mthetheleli Gwanya, in Mooikloof Ridge, Pretoria East, South Africa. Additionally, she received a 2-year direct imprisonment term for obstructing justice.
The Pretoria High Court delivered the verdict on Thursday, September 21, 2023.
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) Regional spokesperson, Lumka Mahanjana, revealed that Ramushu had attempted suicide following the murder.
The tragic sequence of events began when Ramushu discovered that Gwanya had a girlfriend and two children she was unaware of. In response, she invited him to her residence in Mooikloof Ridge.
On the morning of April 31, 2021, Ramushu prepared breakfast for both of them, secretly adding sleeping pills to Gwanya's drink. As he became drowsy, she handcuffed him, poured boiling water on him, and repeatedly assaulted him with an axe until he died.
Afterward, she wrapped his body in a blanket and left it in her garage. Ramushu then attempted to cover up the crime, ingested poison (patrol), and fled the scene in Gwanya's car.
However, she was later discovered unconscious inside the parked vehicle on Grasfontein Road by metropolitan police and paramedics, who rushed her to Steve Biko Hospital.
On the same day, a missing person's report was filed at Boschkop police station by Gwanya's long-term girlfriend, as he had failed to pick her up along with his children.
Upon regaining consciousness in the hospital, Ramushu contacted her family and requested that they accompany the police to her residence. It was there that they found Gwanya's lifeless body in her garage, leading to Ramushu's immediate arrest.
During the trial, Ramushu pleaded not guilty and claimed the murder was an accident. In her mitigation statement, she read a letter of apology to the deceased, his family, and her own family.
She requested a sentence below the prescribed minimum. However, the prosecutor, Advocate Andre Wilsenach, argued for a life sentence, citing Ramushu's lack of genuine remorse and failure to explain her motive.
Wilsenach also submitted Victim Impact Statements (VIS) prepared by the court, in which Gwanya's sister, brother, and long-term girlfriend expressed the emotional and psychological impact of his death.
In delivering the judgment, Judge Papi Masopa emphasized that Ramushu showed no respect for human life and violated the deceased's right to privacy. He noted that Gwanya's children would grow up without a father due to Ramushu's actions.
Consequently, the judge found no substantial and compelling reasons to deviate from the prescribed minimum sentence, branding Ramushu as a dishonest individual who refused to take responsibility for her actions.
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