The High Court in Johannesburg has sentenced 23-year-old Bongiwe Praise Magwaza to 20 years imprisonment for the brutal murder of her boyfriend, a member of the South African Police Service (SAPS), Sergeant Kgopotso Ntsana, 36.
Ntsana was stationed at Elsburg police station, in Germiston, City of Ekurhuleni, when he was shot dead by his cheating girlfriend in 2022.
Gauteng spokesperson for the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, also known as the Hawks, Warrant Officer Thatohatsi Mavimbela said Magwaza was previously found guilty as charged on four counts; murder, possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition, and defeating the ends of justice.
Magwaza was convicted on July 1, and the case was postponed for sentencing.
On Wednesday, the court sentenced Magwaza to 20 years imprisonment for murder; seven years in jail for unlawful possession of a firearm; five years for unlawful possession of ammunition; seven years for defeating the ends of justice.
The Hawks said Magwaza was also declared unfit to possess a firearm.
Mavimbela said the “unyielding” Hawks investigation had unravelled what transpired on a fateful night Ntsana lost his life, which resulted in a successful prosecution and conviction.
“On Friday, December 2, 2022, at about 10.30pm, the couple had an argument at their shared residence in Leomakalapa, next to Windmill Park Estate in Boksburg. The argument escalated to a scuffle which resulted in Magwaza stabbing the deceased with a pair of scissors multiple times,” said Mavimbela.
The 23-year-old woman then took the cop’s firearm from the place where it was kept, and she shot him in his head at point blank range.
“She then placed the firearm next to the deceased in an effort to make it seem like he had committed suicide. She left the place of residence and spent a night at her other boyfriend’s place in Germiston,” said Mavimbela.
The following day, when Magwaza returned to the house she shared with Ntsana, she informed the neighbours that her boyfriend had apparently committed suicide.
Authorities were alerted and attended to the crime scene.
An inquest docket was registered at Dawn Park police station, pending preliminary investigation.
“Blood spatter experts and photographers were called to examine the scene. The crime scene reconstruction experts visited the scene on Monday, December 5,” said Mavimbela.
At that stage, Magwaza had been detained at Boksburg police cells on charges of assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm (GBH), while the probe into the death of the police officer was ongoing. Magwaza was detained after she indicated that she stabbed Ntsana, but was denying killing him.
“The case was not placed on the court roll on December 6, 2022, owing to insufficient evidence,” said Mavimbela.
“Captain Sizwe Sibeko from the Hawks’ National Priority Violent Crimes (NPVC), swiftly picked up Magwaza from the cells before she could be let go. This followed a forensic factual report that ruled out suicide as the cause of death due to inconsistencies discovered after the crime scene was reconstructed.”
Magwaza was then charged with murder. She subsequently appeared before the Boksburg Magistrate’s on December 7.
The court eventually granted her R1,000 bail in January 2023 following numerous appearances.
“The bail was revoked on November 22, 2023, she was referred to Sterkfontein for mental evaluation after she started acting erratic. The facility declared her fit to stand trial and she has been in custody ever since, culminating in her recent sentencing proceedings which started on Monday, August 12,” said Mavimbela.
Earlier this year, then police minister Bheki Cele expressed concern about the spike in the murder rate across South Africa, with 7,710 people murdered between October and December last year. Cele said this was an increase of 2.1% compared to the same period last year.
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