Pretoria – The High Court in Polokwane has sentenced 32-year-old Raphiri Jappie Shiko to life in jail after convicting him of the ‘grisly murder’ of his pregnant ex-girlfriend Moloko Coslina Matete, 22, at Molinda village in Witpoort, outside Lephalale.
Matete was brutally murdered on 18 May 2019, according to Limpopo police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Malesela Ledwaba.
“The accused (Shiko) went to the victim's home and forcefully took her to the local soccer field where he strangled her with a wire, assaulted her before crushing her head with a stone in the late evening of that day,” Ledwaba said.
“The accused reportedly went to the victim’s house, who was about five months pregnant, even after she had filed for a protection order against him.”
Police said “the ruthless criminal” was arrested the following day and was detained at Witpoort police station but he managed to escape from the holding cells shortly after he was detained.
“He was later re-arrested at his homestead in Kitty village, a few kilometres from the victim’s home following an intensive search operation by the police,” Ledwaba said.
“The cases were investigated by two dedicated detectives from Witpoort police station, Sergeant Senona and Sergeant Kekana. Through the duo’s diligent and outstanding investigative skills, the accused was convicted and ultimately sentenced to life imprisonment (on Wednesday).”
On count one of murder, Shiko was sentenced to life imprisonment; on the count of violation of a protection order, he was sentenced to three years imprisonment, and for escaping from lawful custody Shiko was sentenced to an additional 10 years in jail.
The sentence for violating the protection order and for escaping from lawful custody will run concurrently with the life imprisonment for murder.
IOL