A 33-year-old man from Northern Cape has been sentenced to life imprisonment after pleading guilty to the murder of his girlfriend. Ruben Phakiso Motsie was handed down the harsh sentence this week in the Northern Cape High Court.
The tragic incident took place on the evening of June 22, 2019, when Motsie killed his girlfriend, Aldine Godeverdien Titus, aged 25. According to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), the couple had spent the evening at a local tavern before returning home.
It was at their residence that an argument erupted, with Motsie confronting Titus about her recurring habit of asking for money. This dispute quickly escalated, and Motsie’s anger led him to assault Titus with various objects until she fell unconscious.
Disturbingly, after incapacitating his girlfriend, Motsie placed her in bed, covered her with a blanket, and callously left her to die. Rather than seeking help or showing any remorse, he callously proceeded to another tavern to continue drinking.
The chilling discovery of Titus’s lifeless body was made the following morning by a concerned neighbor who promptly reported the incident to the police. The victim’s body bore numerous injuries, indicative of the violence she had suffered.
Mojalefa Senokoatsane, spokesperson for the NPA, revealed that the police eventually traced Motsie to Welkom, where he had fled after the horrific act. He was subsequently arrested, leading to the legal proceedings that culminated in his life imprisonment sentence.
