A 23-year-old woman, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison by the High Court of South Africa in Johannesburg for the murder of her boyfriend, Kgopotso Ntsana, a 34-year-old South African Police Service employee.

The convict identified as Bongiwe Magwaza, committed the offenseon 2 December 2022 at their shared residence in Windmill Park Estates, where Magwaza stabbed and shot Ntsana following a dispute.

Initially, Magwaza attempted to portray the incident as a suicide, but police investigations led by Captain Sibeko, along with expert witness testimony, refuted her claim.

Despite her initial denial of knowing how to use a firearm, Magwaza eventually confessed to the crime, citing self-defense.

However, the court rejected her version of events and maintained that she had indeed shot Ntsana.

The conviction was based on a combination of circumstantial evidence and Magwaza’s admission of guilt, leading to the subsequent sentencing.

During the trial, Magwaza testified in mitigation, expressing remorse to the family for her actions and acknowledging responsibility for stabbing Ntsana.

She adamantly maintained that she did not commit the shooting and suggested that Ntsana may have taken his own life, emphasizing that she would only accept culpability for the murder if the cause of death was determined to be the stab wounds.

Despite her claims and plea for a reduced sentence, the court handed down a total of 39 years in prison for various charges, including 20 years for the murder of Kgopotso Ntsana, 7 years for unlawful possession of a firearm, 5 years for unlawful possession of ammunition, and 7 years for defeating the ends of justice, with the sentences to run concurrently.

MDN News