Relebohile Makhetha
The High Court this week delivered a guilty verdict in a murder case of Limpho Lethunya, who was charged with murdering his girlfriend ‘Mathabo Lelimo in May 2021.
The court is scheduled to sentence Lethunya after hearing his mitigation arguments on October 29. As a result of the guilty judgement, Lethunya’s bail has since been revoked and he is now in custody.
The judgment was handed down by Justice ‘Maliepollo Makhetha, followed by testimonies and evidence presented by the prosecutor, Lehlohonolo Phooko, with Tšooana Mosokotso as the defence counsel.
Key witness, ‘Maselebalo Lelimo, a relative of the deceased testified about the strained relationship between ‘Mathabo and the accused.
She revealed that the deceased no longer loved Lethunya and that Lethunya had allegedly stated he would rather kill someone than be separated from ‘Mathabo.
Another witness, ‘Mamotabo Mabote, who is the wife to Lethunya`s brother confirmed that Lethunya had confessed to killing ‘Mathabo to their aunt in South Africa after fleeing Lesotho.
“I was puzzled when I heard the news of Lelimo’s death on the phone, and people were already convinced that Lethunya killed her and he escaped.
“I then called our aunt who stays in South Africa Botsabelo to inform me when Lebabo arrived to her place… She then confirmed his arrival and that he told him that he killed ‘Mathabo Lelimo.”
Police Constable Makhoanye corroborated this, stating that Lethunya confessed during his arrest in Mafeteng.
Lethunya claimed that an argument had broken out after he saw a suspicious WhatsApp message from a man named Peter. He admitted leaving ‘Mathabo injured but insisted she was still alive when he left.
“I heard the death of ‘Mathabo from social media around 10 am the following day as I was at the border gate going to my aunt`s place in South Africa Botsabelo,” said Lethunya.
“The reason I left is because she said she was going to report me to the police fearing what the police would do to me. The fight started when I saw a message popping up in her WhatsApp saying (U mphile ha monate) from one Peter, whom we once argued with for having an affair,” he continued.
He mentioned that he left ‘Mathabo lying on the couch still alive but injured on the nape.
“Before leaving I tried to call my friends Lebabo and Lebohang Maphike to accompany me to take ‘Mathabo to the hospital but sadly they did not answer their phones.”
The post-mortem results, however, revealed fatal injuries to ‘Mathabo’s brain and visible bruises, contradicting his account.
Further inconsistencies in Lethunya’s testimony, including contradictions in witness statements, led the court to conclude that he deliberately killed ‘Mathabo. Blood stains at the crime scene also pointed to violence.
Summary
- “I heard the death of ‘Mathabo from social media around 10 am the following day as I was at the border gate going to my aunt`s place in South Africa Botsabelo,” said Lethunya.
- “The reason I left is because she said she was going to report me to the police fearing what the police would do to me.
- The fight started when I saw a message popping up in her WhatsApp saying (U mphile ha monate) from one Peter, whom we once argued with for having an affair,” he continued.
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