A 33-year-old man has been sentenced to life imprisonment for beating his mother to death and then burning the body. (mathiasalexander/Getty Images)
A Mpumalanga man who beat his mother to death and then burned the body was sentenced to life imprisonment.
Bongani Thulani Matsane, 33, appeared in the Mpumalanga High Court on Friday, where he was sentenced for killing his mother, Thembi Ngwenya, 64.
According to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), Matsane lived with his mother in Mganduzweni. He accused his mother of witchcraft.
NPA spokesperson Monica Nyuswa said Matsane had confronted his mother and asked her to stop bewitching him. He claimed that his life was not coming together because someone was sabotaging him.
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“On the evening of 14 December 2022, the deceased sent the accused to buy bread at a local shop. On his return, he gave it to the deceased and went out,” Nyuswa said.
“The accused took a hand hoe and approached the deceased from behind. He struck her with it on the head, and the deceased ran out of the house crying for help.”
Matsane chased and continued assaulting her until she collapsed. He dragged her into a bedroom, placed her on the bed, set the bed alight, and then proceeded to wipe the blood off the floor.
Matsane was arrested the same day.
The court sentenced him to life imprisonment for murder and five years for defeating the ends of justice. The charges will run concurrently.
