Young mother’s life cut short as boyfriend gets 23 years for her murder
· Citizen
A 25-year-old man has been sentenced to 23 years in prison for murdering his girlfriend in Mpumalanga after questioning her about a WhatsApp voice note from another man.
The Mpumalanga Division of the High Court in Mbombela sentenced Herold Mokoena after he pleaded guilty to killing Shaleen Manyike, with whom he shared a home and a young child.
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Murder followed WhatsApp dispute
According to the facts presented to the court, Manyike received a voice note from a male contact on 29 August 2024.
Mokoena questioned her about the message. The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) said he became angry when she could not explain who had sent it.
He then strangled Manyike with his hands until she stopped responding.
NPA regional spokesperson Monica Nyuswa said Mokoena realised that she was no longer breathing and placed her body on a bed. He later called Manyike’s grandmother and falsely claimed that she had fallen from the bed and was unresponsive.
Mokoena’s father took Manyike to the hospital in his vehicle, where medical staff declared her dead. Police later arrested Mokoena and charged him with murder.
‘Young mother’s life brutally cut short’
During sentencing, the defence asked the court to impose a sentence below the prescribed minimum of life imprisonment. It argued that Mokoena had pleaded guilty, showed remorse, and suffered from a medical condition.
State Advocate Senzo Zindela opposed the request, stressing the seriousness of the murder and the prevalence of domestic and gender-based violence in South Africa.
He argued that Manyike brutally cut short the young mother’s life.
Zindela also told the court that Manyike endured a painful and senseless death in what should have been the safety of her own home.
The prosecution further highlighted the impact of the killing on the couple’s child, who had lost the opportunity to grow up with and receive care from their mother.
Family’s justice
Nyuswa said the authority welcomed the sentence as an important step towards justice for Manyike and her family.
“The sentence sends a strong message that acts of domestic violence and the killing of intimate partners will not be tolerated, and that perpetrators will be held accountable for their actions,” Nyuswa said.