A man who torched the house of his ex-girlfriend’s mother – with the mother and nephew inside – was sentenced to two life terms by the High Court in North West on Tuesday.
Angelo Nkonza was only 10 years old when Kagiso Moeng broke into the house of his grandmother, Beatrice Nkonza, in Kanana, near Orkney, in March 2019. Moeng was looking for his ex-girlfriend.
When he did not find her at the house, and they could not say where she was, he poured petrol around the house, locked them in, and set it alight.
Beatrice was burnt to death, but Angelo survived, for a while, with severe burn wounds.
The Klerksdorp News reported that Angelo was saved by Beatrice’s other grandson, Khanyisa, but it was too late for their grandmother.
It was while in extreme pain that the little boy managed to give the police a statement before he, too, died.
With the help of the boy’s information, the police managed to track Moeng down in April.
He pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder, arson and housebreaking with intent to murder.
National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Henry Mamothame said the prosecutor, Mike Mokone, urged the court not to deviate from the minimum prescribed sentence as the offence was pre-planned, and Moeng showed no remorse.
Judge Samkelo Gura agreed and referred to the suffering of women, children and the elderly caused by people like Moeng.
Moeng was sentenced to two life terms for murdering Beatrice and Angelo, a further 10 years for arson and five years for housebreaking with intent to murder.
He applied for leave to appeal, but his application was dismissed.
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