Gqeberha Teen, 15, Sentenced to 5 Years for Stabbing Peer, 18, to Death

• A Veeplaas youth in Gqeberha was sentenced to five years at a juvenile detention centre for murder
• During the incident, the minor and an accomplice stabbed the victim multiple times after an altercation
• The convicted minor's accomplice had since died in unrelated circumstances ahead of the murder trial

GQEBERHA — A teenager has received a five-year sentence for murder in the New Brighton Magistrate's Court in Nelson Mandela Bay.

The court heard during sentencing on Monday, 11 November 2024, that the 15-year-old stabbed and killed an 18-year-old man during an altercation.

Teen jailed to 5 years for stabbing peer

The incident happened on 4 August 2023 as the offender and three friends, including the victim, were walking back from visiting another friend.

The friend group encountered a fifth acquaintance, during which a confrontation ensued. The victim ran away after one of them threatened him with a gun. Afterwards, they went in search of the 18-year-old. Eastern Cape National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) regional spokesperson Luxolo Tyali said:

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"They wanted the tik drugs they bought earlier, and which he kept on him when he ran off. After finding him, they demanded the substance, the victim told them he had smoked it."

The situation escalated, and the victim pulled out a knife, threatening to stab the others. Tyali said the accused, aged 14 at the time, and his companions threw stones at him, which caused the knife to fall.

One of them first stabbed the victim.

After he sustained multiple stab wounds, the convicted minor took the knife and proceeded to stab him several more times.

The group fled the scene and left the victim for dead.

Tyali said the minor's accomplice had died in unrelated circumstances before the trial began.

"The prosecutor argued that the sentence needed to reflect the gravity of the crime while addressing the minor's background.

"She noted his troubling behaviour since 12. His elderly grandmother, who was his guardian, struggled to discipline him. Further, he began using drugs at an early age, starting with dagga before progressing to cocaine."

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The minor pleaded guilty to the charge.

Taking into account his age and the fact that he was a first-time offender, the court sentenced him to mandatory juvenile detention. Tyali further commented:

"As part of the rehabilitative order, he will be placed at the Enkuselweni Secure Centre for seven days before admission to the Burgersdorp Child and Youth Centre. A social worker has been assigned to monitor his movements and report on his progress."

Joburg sex workers get life for murder

In related news, Briefly News reported that the Gauteng High Court was emphatic in sentencing two Johannesburg sex workers to life imprisonment for murdering their client.

On 13 April 2019, the two women, Refilwe Mokgotlo and Julia Rihlampfu left Tshwane and visited an establishment in Fourways to look for clients. They found a 29-year-old man, who agreed to return them to his Sandton residence.

Source: Briefly News