| 2024/04/26 |
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Media Statement POLOKWANE – A 29-year-old man, Sammy Samuel Baloyi, was handed hefty sentences by the Polokwane High Court on Thursday, 25 April 2024, for killing his 30-year-old pregnant girlfriend and attempted murder of another woman, aged 36, in separate incidents. After hearing details of how the accused brutally killed his girlfriend, who was five months pregnant at the time, when he visited her at her place of residence in December 2018, and hacked another woman with a panga three years later, the trial court reached its decision to convict the accused. The court heard that the accused stabbed his girlfriend several times with a knife in her abdomen on New Year’s Eve while visiting her at her home village in Makgopong in Magatle policing area. He then fled the scene and the deceased’s body was discovered by community members. Baloyi became the prime suspect as the deceased was in possession of a protection order against him as a result of his violent nature. He was linked to the case through forensic evidence. The accused, who is having speech and hearing disabilities, was subsequently arrested but the case was struck off the court roll due to lack of hearing aids. The accused attacked another woman, aged 36, during 2021 who was staying at her grandmother’s place in Sekgweng village in Moletlane policing area, as a student traditional healer. The victim was watching TV with members of that family when the accused attacked her with a panga and her decapitated fingers and ears. He thereafter fled to Mokopane but was arrested shortly after the incident. During the court proceedings, necessary arrangements were made to get the prescribed hearing aids, while the accused was remanded in custody. The murder case was then placed on the court roll. The accused was ultimately convicted and sentenced on all charges. He was sentenced to 20 years’ imprisonment for murder, one year imprisonment for contravention of protection order and 10 years’ imprisonment for attempted murder. The court ordered the sentences to run concurrently, where on count three he will serve half of the sentence which means the accused will serve an effective 25 years’ imprisonment. He was further declared unfit to possess a firearm. The case in Moletlane was investigated by Constable Billy Nchabeleng and Sergeant Lengana Choshi handled the case in Magatle. The Provincial Commissioner, Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe welcomed the court outcome and further appreciated the investigating team of officers for the outstanding work. Ends
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