Free State man handed life sentence for murder linked to farmland dispute - IOL

A man has been sentenced to life imprisonment for his role in the murder of a woman in a land dispute.

A 40-year-old man has been sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of Itumeleng Claudete Tlhapuletsa in a killing that police say was linked to a dispute over farmland.

The Free State High Court in Bloemfontein sentenced Mpho Isaac Moloi to life imprisonment for murder and a further 15 years for conspiracy to commit murder.

The 15-year sentence will run concurrently with the life term.

Tlhapuletsa, 42, was shot and killed on May 9, 2022.

Free State police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Thabo Covane said investigators initially did not know what had motivated Tlhapuletsa’s killing.

“The motive of her brutal killing would be revealed by thorough police investigation at a later stage,” Covane said.

A week after the murder, police arrested Thapelo “Skariota” Hendricks and Khotso Vincent Motaung near the murder scene in Thabe Street, Rocklands.

According to police, the pair were allegedly impersonating a crime intelligence officer and were found in possession of a .38 Special Rossi firearm with one live round of ammunition.

Investigators later subjected Hendricks’ cellphone to forensic analysis by the Free State Cybercrime Unit.

“The meticulous investigation revealed the possible motive behind the death of Itumeleng: a dispute over farmland,” Covane said.

Police said cellphone data subsequently linked Moloi to the conspiracy and murder.

According to the police, investigators also traced cellphone activity involving a phone Moloi allegedly used while incarcerated in prisons in Bloemfontein and Brandfort.

The two other accused did not live to see the case concluded.

Motaung was shot dead in the Bloemspruit area on March 15, 2024, while Hendricks was shot dead in the Kopanong area on June 30, 2024, according to police.

Moloi was convicted by the Free State High Court on June 17 of conspiracy to commit murder and murder.

On September 11, the court sentenced Moloi to 15 years’ imprisonment for conspiracy to commit murder and life imprisonment for murder.

“The sentence on count 1 shall run concurrently with the sentence on count 2,” Covane said.

Moloi was also declared unfit to possess a firearm.