The High Court of South Africa, Free State Division has sentenced 31-year-old Teboho Abram Mokoena to life imprisonment for killing his mother, Modiehi Anna Khodumo (65), and dismembering her body.

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson, Free State Division, Phaladi Shuping, in a statement on Monday, October 23, 2023, said Judge Joseph Mhlambi also slapped Mokoena with a 5-year imprisonment for stabbing his father, Motsumi Joseph Mokoena, with a knife several times when he tried to reprimand him.

Mokoena was further handed 12 months imprisonment for malicious damage to property.

On 07 June 2022, Motsumi Mokoena went to the deceased’s house looking for her and found the accused in the garage packing the remains of his mother in a plastic bag. When he tried to enquire about what was happening, the accused stabbed him several times.

The police were called to the house, and they made a gruesome discovery when they found a grinder as well as human remains which had been cut into pieces in the garage. It was believed that the deceased was killed between 05 – 07 June 2022.

The accused had a tumultuous relationship with his parents because of his alleged use of drugs and demanding money from her.

In aggravation, the State Prosecutor, Advocate Nono Mkhabela presented three victim impact statements (VIS) to the court. The VIS were from the daughter, brother, and ex-husband of the deceased.

The daughter stated that she could not perform at university and had to repeat a semester because of the incident and the ex-husband said that his son took away the most innocent soul who was not only a pillar of strength to the family but to the community.

Mkhabela told the court that the accused was convicted of three serious offences that are prevalent, not only in the province, but in the entire country and a common denominator of the offences is that they all have the element of violence.

She further submitted that the accused did not show any remorse for his actions, and he was clearly motivated by selfishness, a sense of entitlement and greed and the court must not deviate from the minimum sentence prescribed by the law which will also send a message to would-be killers that the courts will deal with them harshly if they commit such crimes.