VUYO MKIZE
LEHLOHONOLO Mohloai loved gospel music. So great was his love for gospel, that he joined a church choir.
Mohloai also had a love for fashionable clothes; he took time each morning to make sure he looked presentable and stylish in his designer label gear.
Four years ago he was murdered. His family still misses his ability to make people laugh, something he could do even at the saddest of times.
Judge Winston Msimeki on Friday handed down a life sentence to Alfred Mpho Bob, the man convicted of murdering Mohloai in 2006.
On hearing the sentence, Mohloai’s family shouted for joy, their voices echoing in the Johannesburg High Court courtroom.
The court found that Bob, then 38 years old, had arrived at a party armed with a gun and pumped six bullets into Mohloai, who had earlier quarreled with his sister.
The dispute is said to have been sparked by a long-standing feud between the Mohloai and Bob families over child maintenance.
Bob was found guilty of the murder by Judge Msimeki last Wednesday.
Morris, Mohloai’s father and a former national boxing champion, shot up from the courtroom bench and waved his fists in the air, while his wife Dora and daughters shouted “Yes” as the sentence was delivered.
“Society deserves to be protected from people like you,” said Msimeki.
“There’s been overwhelming evidence to show that the deceased wasn’t doing anything that would have warranted such an attack.
“You went to the scene armed with a firearm. You looked for Mohloai and found him.
“The anger and fury with which you arrived at the scene is explained in that you did not even let Mohloai explain to you what had happened. The determination with which you came at Mohloai is shown in the number of shots you fired at him,” he said.
Bob stood in the accused box, clutching his long cream jacket. He looked tentatively around the courtroom before slowly walking down to the holding cells.
His lawyer, Thulani Ntunja, immediately lodged an appeal against the sentence and conviction, which were dismissed by Msimeki.
“The court is of the belief that there could not have been any other conclusion, other than this one. The sentence itself is not one the court took lightly.
“The application for leave to appeal has no merit and is therefore dismissed,” he said.
Maletsielo Phake, Mohloai’s older sister, walked out of the courtroom with a smile and sighed as tears welled in her eyes.
“My brother was a loving person. He was a regular churchgoer and always made us laugh. We used to call him ‘Boer-boy’ because he was so light in complexion,” she said, half laughing.
“He was like any other person. He did not deserve to die like a criminal as he did,” said Mapuleng, another of Mohloai’s sisters.
Mohloai’s father immediately phoned other family members to give them news of the sentence.
“We have victory at last. He has been given life in prison, and we have been given life at last. May Lehlohonolo’s soul finally rest in peace now,” he said.