Vereeniging Lt. Colonel Sentenced to 20 Years for Murder
The Gauteng High Court sitting in Palm Ridge, yesterday on 16 September 2026, sentenced Lieutenant-Colonel Christopher Mokoena, of Vereeniging SAPS to twenty years for the murder of Sibongiseni Cele in 2024.
According to a statement, it is alleged that Mokoena assaulted Cele on 3 March 2024, at around 19h00, for breaking into his property and stealing a television set and jewellery.
It is further alleged that after the assault, Mokoena called the police to his house but refused to open a case of trespassing against Cele while Cele also refused to open an assault case against Mokoena.
According to the police, Cele also declined to be taken to hospital for medical treatment.
Cele was found dead the following day, on 4 March 2024, at his home by a friend and the police we summoned to the scene.
Apart from the 20 -year sentence, the High Court also declared Mokoena unfit to possess a firearm.
