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THE UPINGTON Regional Court sentenced Joseph Setlhalefo, 39, to 20 years of direct imprisonment for the brutal assault and murder of the mother of his three children.
Setlhalefo also intended to set her body alight.
National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) regional spokesperson Mojalefa Senokoatsane said the 24-year-old victim, Christina Tieties, was the accused’s former girlfriend.
“On July 27, 2007, Sethlalefo returned from work and found that she was not home. He went to search for her. Later that evening he was seen dragging her towards their house. He left her in the yard and returned with a plastic pipe with which he assaulted her. He went inside the house and returned with a steel wire with which he repeatedly assaulted her all over her body. He went inside the house again and returned with a 20-litre can of water which he poured over her and then continued to assault her with the wire. He went into the house for a third time and this time returned with a chain that had a lock attached to it. He assaulted her several times with this apparatus, while she begged him to stop and screamed in anguish for help from the eyewitness,” said Senokoatsane.
He added that a witness testified that he did not intervene out of fear of being assaulted himself.
“The witness related that the accused made a habit of assaulting the deceased, especially on weekends. The victim was described as being heavily under the influence of alcohol at the time and was unable to resist the attack on her. She tried to escape the brutal assault by crawling to the stoep but the accused kicked her every time she attempted to move.
“At one point the accused also tried to light a piece of paper and asked the witness to get petrol to set the body of the deceased alight. He was not successful in this attempt.”
Senokoatsane stated that Tieties' lifeless, bruised body was discovered in the house the next morning after Setlhalefo reported that he could not wake her up, claiming that she had had a seizure.
“The matter was reported to the police and the accused was arrested. The accused was released on bail but absconded for nine years. When he was arrested again, he denied his identity as he was living under a different name. The SAPS, through fingerprint technology, was able to prove to the court that he was indeed the same person who was sought for the brutal murder of Tieties.”
He added that due to the untimely death of the regional magistrate in 2022, trial proceedings had to start afresh before a different magistrate.
“Victim impact statements were provided to the court by the deceased’s mother and one of her children, which offered first-hand information on the emotional, physical and financial effects of the crime.”
Senokoatsane stated that the State prosecutor, Ramosa Ramothepane, submitted during sentencing proceedings that the accused had robbed the family of a mother and daughter due to his “cowardice and monstrous act”.
“He submitted that it is evident from the statements that the family suffered irreparable emotional and psychological agony as well as financial loss. The grandmother was left to raise the children without financial support.
“He further argued that the court must send an unequivocal message that demonstrates that our courts value the sanctity of human life and the dignity of women in society. He urged for the maximum sentence to be imposed for persons who commit gender-based violence and femicide crimes.”
Senokoatsane said the court sentenced Setlhalefo to 20 years imprisonment and found that he should not expect any mercy, as he lacked remorse and showed no consideration to the deceased.
“The National Prosecuting Authority hopes that these sentences will provide some justice and closure to the victims as well as their families as the perpetrators of these violent crimes are removed from the communities,” he added.