Pretoria - The killer of a Johannesburg doctor and her domestic worker was yesterday sentenced to two life terms, after the doctor was strangled to death and her domestic worker burnt to death.
The Gauteng High Court, Johannesburg sentenced Wilson Rilamfhu 36, following the deaths of Dr Memory Mathe and her domestic worker Pretty Moyo, in August 2019. The pair were murdered in Mathe’s home at Zakariya Park (south of Johannesburg) home.
Rilamfhu was further sentenced to five years imprisonment for arson and another 15 years for robbery with aggravating circumstances.
He was charged together with Ronnie Kgobane, 31, who was acquitted on all charges, Phindi Mjonondwane, National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson said.
Rilamfhu was hired in August 2019 by the Mathe family to do repairs on their leaking roof, as he was known to the family and normally did small jobs at their home.
Rilamfhu asked Kgobane to assist him, at a fee. Present at the house at the time were Mathe and Moyo. The latter stayed in a room at the back of the house. While Rilamfhu was working, he had a disagreement with Mathe about the payment for his labour, which resulted in him strangling her to death.
He thereafter bought petrol and set the back room, where Moyo was, on fire. The accused then proceeded to take items from the main house, packed them into Mathe’s vehicle, and fled the scene.
Mathe’s neighbour saw flames coming from the back room and rushed to see the cause. She stumbled upon the bodies of Mathe and Moyo inside the house.
Firefighters, paramedics, and the police were summoned to the scene.
Mathe’s husband Louis Mathe arrived shortly afterwards, and saw a crowd of people and police gathered outside his home, and immediately knew something was wrong. He entered the main house and saw his wife's lifeless body. Mathe was further pointed to the back room that was destroyed by fire with another deceased body in it, which he later confirmed as their domestic worker.
In arguing for the highest sentence, prosecutor Deborah Zinn told the court that the brutal killings of the deceased showed that the accused has little to no respect for the law.
The NPA meanwhile welcomed the life sentences which were imposed.
Pretoria News