Life in jail for husband who killed wife after she left him

A Gauteng husband has been handed a life sentence for killing his wife after she left him saying she wanted peace.

Mpho Motsoso, 42, stabbed his wife Modichabane, 39, to death in front of their children as she sat on the bed reading a bible then fled to a sangoma for “spiritual cleansing”.

“He entered the house saying [he] wanted to bathe, after he fetched a knife from the kitchen and stabbed the wife in her bedroom while she was sitting on the bed reading a bible.

—  Lumka Mahanjana, NPA spokesperson

Lumka Mahanjana, spokesperson for the Gauteng National Prosecuting Authority said

on January 29 2023, Motsoso went to the house they used to share, where the deceased was with her mother and their two children, aged 16 and seven.

According to Mahanjana, his mother-in-law asked him to sleep outside after he attempted to start a fight with his wife. 

“He entered the house saying [he] wanted to bathe, after he fetched a knife from the kitchen and stabbed the wife in her bedroom while she was sitting on the bed reading a bible. The attack occurred in front of their children.

“He then took her car keys and bank cards, drove away, and later withdrew money. He proceeded to a sangoma in Kliprivier for “spiritual cleansing,” where police arrested him after tracing the vehicle via its tracking device,” she said. 

According to Mahanjana during sentencing, Motsoso asked the court to deviate from the prescribed minimum sentence, citing his status as a first-time offender with no history of violence. 

However, prosecutor Girly Mahlangu opposed the request, stressing that he showed no remorse and committed a heinous act against his wife, whom he was meant to love and protect, in full view of their children.

“The deceased’s mother and children detailed the psychological trauma they suffered. The statement revealed that the eldest child failed grade 12 that year due to the impact of the murder,” Mahanjana added. 

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