Cold case cracked: Killer gets 30 years after murder, robbery confession

FIVE years after the brutal killing of a young woman shocked the Pampierstad community, justice has finally caught up with her murderer.

According to Northern Cape police spokesperson Sergeant Molefi Shemane, 27-year-old Phindiswa Mdityelwa was found dead in an open veld outside Pampierstad in June 2020. The discovery sparked widespread concern, but for years the case went cold with no suspects in sight - until the man responsible walked into a police station and confessed nearly three years later.

In a dramatic turn of events, 29-year-old Refilwe Diseko voluntarily surrendered to the police in March 2023, admitting that he had robbed and fatally stabbed the young woman. He was arrested and subsequently appeared before a magistrate, where he made a formal confession under oath.

Diseko remained behind bars throughout the trial, with bail successfully opposed during the court proceedings.

This past week, the Taung Regional Court handed down a decisive sentence. Diseko was convicted of robbery with aggravating circumstances and murder and was slapped with a total of 30 years behind bars - 10 years for the robbery and 20 years for the murder, to run consecutively.

The sentencing brings a measure of closure to a case that has haunted the community for half a decade. Authorities have praised the work of the investigating officer, Detective Sergeant Mogomotsi Galodikwe, whose persistence helped ensure a conviction.

The acting provincial commissioner of the Northern Cape, Major-General Luntu Ngubelanga, reaffirmed the police’s commitment to tackling violent crimes and protecting the most vulnerable, vowing that no case will be forgotten - even years after the fact.