Conwell Mongezi Chauke, a 34-year-old South African, has been sentenced to life imprisonment for the gruesome murder of an 11-year-old girl.
Chauke, who had his romantic advances rejected by the child’s mother, attacked Khothatso Welhelmina Tshabalala, stabbing her 66 times.
In addition to the life sentence for murder, Chauke has received a 6-year sentence for kidnapping, with the terms to run concurrently. He has also been declared unfit to possess a firearm.
Lumka Mahanjana, spokesperson for the Gauteng Division of the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), stated that Chauke was a member of a prayer group with the girl’s mother.
On December 29, 2020, Chauke called the mother, threatening her because she had declined to meet with him and he felt mocked. Later that day, Chauke went to the family’s home in Mamelodi East under the guise of retrieving his belongings. Once inside, he brutally stabbed the child, covered her body with linens, and fled.
The child’s body was discovered by neighbors who had come looking for her when she went missing. Chauke turned himself in to the police two days later. In court, he admitted to the murder but denied kidnapping the child. Evidence presented proved otherwise.
Chauke’s defense requested that the court consider the three years he spent in pre-trial detention when determining his sentence. Despite his previous theft convictions, Chauke had no prior violent crime record.
The state prosecutor, Advocate Sipho Lalane, argued for a severe sentence, highlighting Chauke’s lack of remorse and the violent nature of his crime.
Victim Impact Statements from the child’s mother and sister detailed the ongoing emotional and psychological damage caused by the murder.
Judge Jacobus Johannes Strijdom agreed with the state’s assessment, emphasizing the brutality of the crime and Chauke’s danger to society. The court found no compelling reasons to deviate from the mandatory life sentence.
The NPA welcomed the sentence, stating it sends a strong message that violent offenders against women and children will be held accountable.
