A South African man has been found guilty of killing his 22-year-old ex-girlfriend in a case that shocked the country last year. The High Court in Johannesburg concluded that Sandile Mantsoe stabbed Karabo Mokoena, and tried to conceal the crime by burning her remains. Her 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.
What was the cause of Karabo Mokoena death?
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. The family of the woman who was killed by Mantsoe has welcomed the guilty verdict, but has questioned his mental state because he showed no remorse during the trial, the BBC’s Nomsa Maseko reports.
Karabo Mokoena autopsy details?
The autopsy report conducted on Karabo Mokoena’s charred remains did not shed any light on how the 22-year-old died‚ which could weaken the State’s case. This was revealed in the indictment served on her alleged killer and lover‚ Sandile Mantsoe‚ in the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court on Thursday.
He is due to appear in the Johannesburg High Court on September 15 where his trial will be heard. Dressed in a brown checkered blazer and brown bottled neck jersey‚ Mantsoe appeared in a packed court where he received the indictment.
Although the State was not willing to disclose exactly who would be testifying in Mantsoe’s trial‚ it has been revealed that a total of 20 witnesses are expected to take to the stand.
