Life behind bars for man who killed ex-girlfriend, and left child with body

A 33-year-old foreign national, Mohammed Rohman, has been sentenced to life imprisonment for the brutal murder of his 21-year-old ex-girlfriend in Hopetown, and Provincial Commissioner of the South African Police Service in the Northern Cape, Lieutenant General Koliswa Otola, has welcomed the sentence.

According to the court, the incident occurred on January 17, 2024, when the accused and the victim got into an argument, which escalated into a scuffle. Rohman strangled the victim with a piece of cloth until she became unresponsive. After realising she had died, he locked the victim's body inside the house with her seven-year-old child and fled the scene.

The accused was arrested after a Correctional Services official became suspicious of him and drove him to the nearest police station in Christiana. Rohman was later charged with murder and contravention of immigration laws.

Detective Warrant Officer Phillip Kleynhans, the investigating officer, was commended for his thorough investigation and for successfully opposing bail throughout the proceedings.

The court convicted Rohman of murder and sentenced him to life imprisonment, along with an additional three months for being in the country illegally. He was also declared unfit to possess a firearm.

Lieutenant General Otola praised Detective Warrant Officer Kleynhans for his excellent work, highlighting the importance of holding perpetrators of Gender-Based Violence accountable.