A Zimbabwean traditional healer has been sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of 16-year-old Modjadji Niccol Thoka, whose body was dismembered and hidden at different locations in Botlokwa, Limpopo.
According to a statement issued by Limpopo National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Mashudu Malabi on Tuesday, Tatenda Sithole, 29, a Zimbabwean national, was sentenced by the Polokwane High Court after being convicted of murder, defeating the ends of justice and violating a corpse.
The court ordered an additional 13 years’ imprisonment to run concurrently with the life sentence, resulting in an effective sentence of life imprisonment. Sithole was also declared unfit to possess a firearm.
The court heard that on January 5, 2024, Sithole encountered Modjadji after she had left her home to visit a nearby spaza shop in Botlokwa.
Sithole, who worked as a traditional healer, took the teenager to an unused house, where she was killed.
Thereafter, Sithole and his accomplice, Brian, who has already been sentenced, dismembered her body and concealed the remains at different locations, including in a shallow pit.
The State alleged that some of the remains were intended for ritual purposes.
A few days later, community members discovered the remains, leading to police investigations that eventually resulted in Sithole’s arrest.
Sithole pleaded not guilty to all the charges during the trial.
During sentencing proceedings, State Advocate Eric Mabapa presented a victim impact statement compiled by court preparation officer Morongwe Moifo, detailing the devastating impact of the crime on Modjadji’s family.
The State argued that the circumstances surrounding the teenager’s killing were particularly cruel and had compounded the family’s suffering by depriving them of the opportunity to give her a proper burial.
Mabapa further submitted that the killing of women in South Africa remained a serious concern and that courts needed to send a strong message that the taking of human life would not be tolerated.
Welcoming the sentence, Limpopo Director of Public Prosecutions Advocate Ivy Thenga said the importance of human life could never be overemphasised.
“It can never be overemphasised how important human life is. We will remain vigorous in our pursuit of these cases to serve as a deterrent to would-be murderers,” Thenga said.
Thenga also commended Mabapa and the investigating officer, Sergeant Sindane of the Provincial Detectives, for their work in securing the conviction and sentence.
