23-Year-Old Free State Man Jailed For 25 Years After Murdering Mother And Attempting To Kill Grandmother

A 23-year-old Free State man will spend 25 years in prison after admitting to murdering his mother and attempting to kill his grandmother in separate attacks.

Thabiso Motaung was sentenced by the Viljoenskroon Regional Court after pleading guilty to both charges.

The court imposed an effective 25-year term of direct imprisonment.

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Mother Killed During 2021 Argument

The first offence occurred in February 2021 when Motaung was 17 years old.

According to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), Motaung got into an argument with his mother before arming himself with a knife.

He stabbed her once in the heart.

She died at the scene from her injuries.

Motaung pleaded guilty to murder and received a 10-year prison sentence for the offence.

Because he was a minor when the murder occurred, the prescribed minimum sentencing provisions did not apply.

Grandmother Attacked Two Years Later

Motaung was involved in another violent incident in February 2023.

He was 20 years old at the time and had an argument with his grandmother.

The NPA said he again armed himself with a knife before stabbing her in the neck.

She suffered a life-threatening injury and was rushed to hospital for treatment.

Unlike his mother, the grandmother survived the attack.

Motaung subsequently pleaded guilty to attempted murder.

Court Orders Sentences To Run Concurrently

The court sentenced Motaung to 25 years’ imprisonment for the attempted murder of his grandmother.

It ordered that his earlier 10-year sentence for murdering his mother run concurrently with the 25-year sentence.

As a result, Motaung will serve an effective 25 years behind bars.

The sentence was imposed as direct imprisonment.

NPA Welcomes Sentence

The NPA welcomed the court’s decision and said the sentence held Motaung accountable for serious offences committed against his own family members.

The State was represented by Tumelo Sebogodi, a District Court Prosecutor who is currently undergoing training at the Regional Court.

The prosecution secured convictions after Motaung pleaded guilty to both charges.

The NPA also commended the prosecution for pursuing accountability in the two violent attacks.