The High Court in Mthatha has sentenced a 39-year-old woman to an effective 15 years in prison for the double murder of her boyfriend and distant aunt, both of whom she caught in bed together, and for housebreaking with intent to commit a crime.

Noncedo Mqokro, from Nondindwa village in Centane, was handed 15 years for each of the two murders and eight years for housebreaking, but the court ordered the sentences to run concurrently.

In a guilty plea explanation, Mqokro admitted that on the night of May 19, 2024; after consuming liquor at a traditional ceremony in her village, she decided to visit her boyfriend unannounced in the neighbouring village of Khabakazi, something she said she had done before.

Upon her arrival, she claimed that he refused to open the door. But when she peered through a window, she saw him having sexual intercourse with her distant aunt, a woman from her maternal clan.

“In a fit of rage, she pushed the door open, went straight to a bucket that the boyfriend used to hide his dagger knife and stabbed the two,” said the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) Regional Spokesperson.

Mqokro said she did not recall how many times she stabbed them, but insisted she left them alive after they apologised.

She immediately confessed to the boyfriend’s mother and surrendered to police at the scene. Both victims succumbed to their wounds the following day.

The court considered a pre-sentence report, which revealed that Mqokro suffers from epilepsy, receives a social grant for her condition, and had survived an abusive marriage.

It also emerged that her now-deceased boyfriend had previously abused her, contributing to her “insecurities.”

While the State acknowledged the gravity of the crimes and the impact on the victims’ children, it also recognised that Mqokro had shown remorse.

State Advocate Loyiso Methusohe emphasised that the crimes resulted in a loss of lives and guardians for the children of the deceased, but Mqokro had shown remorse, and she, herself, needs professional intervention, as her youngest daughter also blames her for the death of her father.

Welcoming the outcome, Eastern Cape Director of Public Prosecutions Barry Madolo warned that victims of abuse must seek lawful ways to address their situations, saying the sentence should caution other people in abusive relationships to seek interventions within legal limits because once they commit a crime, they will serve time.

IOL News

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