NELSPRUIT – A 35-year-old Nick Kolokoto Mpolokeng was sentenced to life imprisonment for murder, six years imprisonment for arson and five years for housebreaking and theft by the Mpumalanga Division of the High Court which was sitting in Middleburg on Monday, 13 February 2023.

The accused was sentenced for the gruesome murder of an 83-year-old Elizabeth Kolokoto who is said to be his relative in Mmametlhake in the early hours of 07 May 2012 at about 01:00.

It transpired during investigation that the accused was from the local tavern when he planned to rob the old lady who was staying alone on the same street with him at Phake Village.

It is said that he recruited his friend to accompany him. On the way they met another guy who convinced the friend to go with him, leaving Mpolokeng alone. Even though he was alone, he carried out his mission as planned.

The investigation further revealed that the accused went straight to the granny’s house where he gained entrance to the yard through jumping the fence, broke her bedroom window then entered the house. He found the granny already awake and demanded money from her. When the granny indicated that she had no money, the accused assaulted her, banged her against the wall until she fell down. He ransacked the house only to come out with R36.00.

It also transpired that he set the paper alight and threw it under the granny’s bed before he left. The house burnt into ashes with the granny inside. The accused then went home, changed his clothes and went inside a pit toilet where he burnt his clothes which had some bloodstained. He then fell asleep. The following morning he realised that his running shoes had blood stains, he also threw them in the pit toilet to conceal the evidence.

Police were summoned to the crime scene where they only found the human skull which was identified by the deceased’s brother as the one of the granny. Dedicated police investigators put all their efforts to ensure that they find the one responsible for this atrocious incident. At the end their hard work paid off as the investigation led them to the accused who later admitted that his bloodstained running shoes were thrown inside the pit toilet that was the beginning of a major breakthrough which was enabled mostly by the forensic investigation which helped a great deal.

The accused was positively linked to the crime and he finally admitted to have been behind the granny’s murder, robbery and arson. The court found him guilty hence the hefty sentence handed down.

The Provincial Commissioner of the SAPS in Mpumalanga, Lieutenant General Semakaleng Daphney Manamela was elated by the professionalism displayed by the investigation team. The General further expressed her sincere gratitude to the Prosecution team and the Judiciary for putting the accused behind bars, where he belongs for the longest time.

Source: South African Police Service