By REGINALD KANYANE
14 April 2025- A man (42) was sentenced to life imprisonment by the Atamelang Regional Court for murder. This comes after Itumeleng Gabonewe (42) killed his girlfriend, Manana Rosina Ditsebe (29).
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) regional spokesperson in the North West, Sivenathi Gunya said the atrocity took place at Khunwana village, near Kraaipan on 28 April 2024. Gunya said Gabonewe and Ditsebe were in a romantic relationship and they have a child together.
“Ditsebe came from a nearby tavern in the company of her boyfriend. Upon arrival at the accused person’s residence, they had an altercation. They were heard by the accused’s cousin, who was in the same house.
“The cousin heard a banging sound of a person being hit against the wall and shortly after the sound stopped, she heard the door of the bedroom being opened and heard footsteps of a person leaving the house. The cousin told the court that she was afraid of the accused, hence she did not intervene,” he said.
Gunya further said she then went to the bedroom to go and observe what happened. He added that she found the deceased badly injured with visible injuries to her face and body.
“The accused’s cousin then tried to awaken the deceased to no response. She then went outside the house and called on their neighbours for assistance. Upon the neighbour’s arrival, the neighbour informed her that Ditsebe had passed on and the police were then called.
“Subsequently, the deceased was declared dead by the EMRS personnel, who were called to the scene by the police. The suspect, Itumeleng Gabonewe, was then traced and arrested by the police,” said Gunya.
He said in court, the accused pleaded guilty to the charge of murder. Gunya said during sentencing, the state prosecutor, advocate Edward Manicus, in his argument, argued for life imprisonment to be imposed as there were insufficient grounds adduced by the defence for the court to deviate from the applicable and prescribed minimum sentence.
“The Presiding Officer, Magistrate Stephan Du Toit, agreed with the state and subsequently sentenced the accused to life imprisonment and declared him unfit to possess a firearm,” he said.
Meanwhile, welcoming the sentence, Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) in the North West, Dr Rachel Makhari, commended the investigative and prosecution teams for their dedication. Makhari reaffirmed the unwavering commitment by the NPA in fighting gender-based violence.
The Guardian 