Pretoria - A Lesotho man in the country illegally has been sentenced to 12 years’ imprisonment for fatally stabbing his colleague 37 times.
The Balfour Regional Court in Mpumalanga sentenced Lerato Kalaku, 27, on Thursday.
The court heard that Kalaku and Lindani Ephraim Mhlungu, 27, worked together at a farm at Greylingstad and lived in the same house at the farm.
“On 23 September 2021, the two were tasked to fix the fence away from other employees, and that is where an altercation ensued that turned violent.
“Kalaku stabbed Mhlungu 37 times in his upper body. The attack was so aggressive ... that he ended up sustaining a skull fracture and broken neck,’’ said police spokesperson Colonel Donald Mdhluli.
Mdhluli said after the attack, Mhlungu used his cellphone to report the incident to the farm owner but he lost consciousness after that.
“The farm owner, who was out of the province at the time, summoned other employees to investigate but he was found unconscious in the pool of blood holding a mobile phone,” he said.
Police and emergency services certified Mhlungu dead on the scene.
Members of the police from Greylingstad launched a manhunt for Kalaku. They traced and arrested him eight hours after the murder.
Police successfully opposed bail and Kalaku has been behind bars from the day of his arrest until he was convicted.
The provincial commissioner of police in Mpumalanga, Lieutenant-General Semakaleng Manamela commended police for their work.
"At last justice has been served to the Mhlungu family. We applaud the vital role played by the detective team, the prosecution team and the judiciary, which culminated into the sentence" said Manamela.
IOL