Beaten to death: Platfontein man gets life for killing mother

A 29-YEAR-old man from Platfontein has been sentenced to life imprisonment for the brutal murder of his 54-year-old mother.

National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson in the Northern Cape Mojalefa Senokoatsane said the accused, Chris Letratu, assaulted his mother, Dena Letratu, with a wooden pick handle.

“The incident took place on August 1, 2024, when the accused was at home with his parents and younger brother in Platfontein. Awakened by his mother’s reprimands over an earlier incident, Letratu took a wooden pick handle and struck her repeatedly on the head and body. He then dragged her to her bedroom and threw her onto a mattress. The assault occurred in full view of his father and younger brother,” Senokoatsane said.

He added that the police were called to the scene, and Letratu was arrested and charged with murder.

"Faced with overwhelming evidence, he pleaded guilty and was convicted in the Kimberley Regional Court. State prosecutor Mothelesi Katlego Thothela told the court that the accused had shown complete disregard for human life by murdering the very person who had nurtured and cared for him. 

“Thothela urged the court to impose the prescribed life sentence, stressing the devastating impact of domestic violence on families and communities. In handing down sentence, the court agreed with the State’s submissions and imposed life imprisonment." 

Senokoatsane stated that the NPA remained unwavering in its commitment to ensuring justice in cases of domestic violence and safeguarding vulnerable members of society.

"The NPA emphasises that human life is sacred, and those who commit such heinous crimes will face the full might of the law. The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions in the Northern Cape hopes this sentence brings some measure of justice and closure to the victim’s family while ensuring that a violent offender is permanently removed from society," he added.