A 32-year-old South African man, Collen Rorisang Mogotsi, has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for the brutal murder of his five-month-old son after his girlfriend revealed he was not the biological father.

The verdict was delivered by the Lehurutshe Regional Court on September 17, 2024. The judge condemned Mogotsi’s actions and declared him unfit to possess a firearm under the Firearm Control Act of 2000.

The tragic incident occurred in the early hours of November 8, 2017, when police responded to a call from Willowpark, Lehurutshe, where the infant’s lifeless body was found. The baby had suffered severe head injuries and other trauma.

“He was declared dead by Emergency and Medical Rescue Services (EMRS) at the scene,” stated Colonel Adéle Myburgh, a police spokesperson.

Reports indicate that earlier that night, Mogotsi and the baby’s mother had a heated argument in Dinokana village, near Zeerust. During the confrontation, she disclosed that the infant was not Mogotsi’s biological child. In a drunken rage, Mogotsi violently assaulted the baby.

“Mogotsi then told the mother that the baby was dead and needed to be taken back to her parental home in Willowpark,” Myburgh added.

Following the incident, Mogotsi was arrested shortly after the report was made and appeared in court on November 13, 2017.

The case was brought to justice thanks to the diligent work of Sergeant Thabo Tshweu from the Lehurutshe Detectives and prosecutor Neo Sedumedi. Lieutenant General Sello Kwena, the provincial police commissioner, and Rachel Makhari, the North West director of public prosecutions, praised the collaboration that led to the conviction.