The South Gauteng High Court has sentenced a 28-year-old man to life in prison for the cruel December 2020 murder of his girlfriend. According to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), Presley Ramosidi and Bulelwa Thimbela resided in a shack in her family’s backyard.
On that tragic evening, Ramosidi was allegedly enraged because Thimbela had spent the evening with friends at a local pub.
“He confronted the deceased and an argument ensued, the accused took out knives from the kitchen drawer and attempted to stab Thimbela, but her friend managed to intervene. After Thimbela’s friend left, the accused locked the deceased inside the shack and stabbed her multiple times,” said NPA spokesperson Phindi Mjonondwane.
After stabbing her, Ramosidi left the scene and shut the door to their room.
“The deceased was discovered by her family, following witnessing the commotion between the couple. They became suspicious when they saw the accused locking the shack and leaving, as they knew that he was not alone inside the shack. They found the spare key and opened it, finding the deceased lying in a pool of blood on the bed,” NPA spokesperson Phindi Mjonondwane
According to the NPA, Bulelwa Thimbela’s brother discussed the consequences of her murder on the family.
The state’s attorney, Monde Mbaqa, said that women turn to the courts for protection against perpetrators of gender-based violence. The plague of gender-based violence, he argued, necessitates the imposition of strong punishments as deterrence and retribution.
“The NPA commends the dedication of both the prosecutor, Adv Mbaqa and investigating officer Sergeant Magoboya, towards the fight against gender-based violence. Society relies on the court system to root out the pandemic of gender-based violence by imposing sentences that portray the seriousness of the Criminal Justice System in its fight against gender-based violence,” Mjonondwane added.