(Archive photo: Shutterstock)
A young woman from the Free State, Mmaditaba Ramabele (22) was sentenced in the Bloemfontein High Court on Wednesday to 30 years effective imprisonment for her part in a farm murder in Rouxville and the murder of her three-year-old niece.
The sentence stems from a plea and sentence agreement after Ramabele pleaded guilty to charges of murder, kidnapping, rape, robbery with aggravating circumstances, and the illegal possession of firearms and ammunition.
The crimes were committed between November and December 2024 in the Southern Free State.
During the proceedings, the court heard how Ramabele kidnapped her niece, Mohlolo Ramabele (3), on 28 November 2024 under the pretext of a family visit. Her boyfriend, Tebello Lucas Ntomane, assaulted the child so severely that he died. Ramabele admitted that she did nothing to stop the attack and that she instead identified herself with Ntomane’s actions. She therefore admitted that they acted in common purpose.
Only a few days later, on 7 December 2024, Ramabele was involved in a bloody farm attack on the farm Charlspost in Rouxville. During the attack, the farmer was shot dead, while his wife was kidnapped and repeatedly raped.
Ramabele admitted that she stood guard during the attack and that she forced the woman to travel from town to town and withdraw money from various points.
The police later stopped Ramabele and Ntomane in the victims’ stolen vehicle at a roadblock. Ramabele handed herself over to the police, but Ntomane was shot dead after he refused to get out of the car and disobeyed police instructions.
Mojalefa Senokoatsane, spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), says Ramabele pleaded guilty to all the charges against her.
Judge Corne van Zyl sentenced Ramabele to 30 years in prison on each of the murder and rape charges. Because of her age and the fact that she is a first offender, the sentences will be served concurrently.
“When sentencing, the court took into account her age, her status as a first offender, the time she spent in custody while awaiting her trial, her cooperation with law enforcement, and the fact that she pleaded guilty,” says Senokoatsane.
The court also found that there are significant and compelling circumstances that justify a deviation from the prescribed minimum sentences.
“Although long sentences were imposed on each charge, these sentences will be served concurrently in terms of Section 280 of the Criminal Procedure Act, which results in an effective imprisonment of 30 years.”