Karabo Mokoena’s killing sparked outrage with women using the hashtag #MenAreTrash. South Africa has one of the world’s highest rates of rape and murder of women. Presiding judge Peet Johnson labeled Mantsoe an unreliable witness who fabricated evidence and was involved in a web of lies in a bid to sway the murder trial his way.
How did Sandile Mantsoe kill Karabo Mokoena?
The High Court in Johannesburg concluded that Sandile Mantsoe stabbed Karabo Mokoena, and tried to conceal the crime by burning her remains. However, The 28-year-old denied killing Ms. Mokoena but during his bail hearing, he claimed he had disposed of her body after coming home and finding that she had committed suicide by stabbing herself.
Her charred remains were found buried in a shallow grave in a deserted field in Johannesburg after her family filed a missing person’s report in April last year. She had been assaulted, doused with acid, and then set alight. Police said the accused had confessed to the murder as part of a ritual that would allow his business to prosper.
Where did Sandile Mantsoe burn Karabo?
Mantsoe (22) murdered Mokoena (22) in April 2017; her body was discovered burned beyond recognition in a veld in Lyndhurst. Mantsoe, who is reported to be estranged from his wife and has three children, began dating Mokoena in September 2016.
Mokoena told family members that Mantsoe was abusing her throughout their seven-month relationship.
