Two grandsons, Kabelo Sebotso (22) and Thokozane Gazide (31) were found guilty on two counts of murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances and arson and sentenced by the High court in Bloemfontein as follows:
Kabelo is sentenced to 22 years for count 1 and 2 of murder; 15 years for robbery and 5 years for arson. Count two, three and four will run concurrently. Thokozane is sentenced to life imprisonment on two counts of murder, 15 years for robbery and five years for arson.
The sentence came to being as a result of an incident that took place on the 6 April 2019, when the police in ThabaNchu were summoned to a burning house in Morolong section. After the fire was put out, two bodies of an elderly couple, Mantwa Sebotsa (72) and Lethakong Sebotsa (79) were found in the house.
Preliminary investigation revealed that they were assaulted and petrol was used to torch the house. Post mortem results revealed that the elderly female victim was assaulted with a knobkerrie and the husband was stabbed with a knife.
During investigation it was discovered that the grandparents had a protection order against their grandsons Kabelo and Thokozane and one of the conditions was that they should not come near the house of their parents, yet Thokozane was seen next to the burning house.
The court heard that the two convicts took their grandparents’ lives on 4 April 2020, then set the house on fire. They then stole a television, mini hi-fi radio, fridge and blankets. They sold a fridge at a local pawn shop then boarded a taxi to Gauteng Province.
Both convicts were traced and found in Thokoza, Johannesburg on the 29 May and 11 July 2019 respectively.
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