Former SANDF Member Sentenced to 18 Years for Murdering Girlfriend in Limpopo
- Polokwane High Court sentenced 42-year-old Thabo Lawrence Monyane on 20 August for the murder of his girlfriend
- Monyane, who was reportedly serving in the SANDF at the time, pleaded guilty to the murder charge
- The victim, Eniphe Sebolaishi Leso, 34, was killed in December 2025 at Ga-Malepetleke Village in Limpopo
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LIMPOPO — A former South African National Defence Force member has been sentenced to 18 years' direct imprisonment after pleading guilty to the murder of his girlfriend in Limpopo.
Polokwane High Court handed down the sentence on 20 August 2026 against Thabo Lawrence Monyane, 42, for the killing of 34-year-old Eniphe Sebolaishi Leso. The South African Police Service in Limpopo confirmed the sentencing and welcomed the outcome.
Victim killed at Ga-Malepetleke village
Leso was murdered in December 2025 at Ga-Malepetleke Village, which falls within the Mahwelereng policing area. Monyane was reportedly a serving SANDF member at the time he committed the offence.
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In addition to the prison sentence, the court declared Monyane unfit to possess a firearm.
The investigation was led by Sergeant Martin Dutja, whose thorough handling of the case ensured it was successfully prosecuted before the court. SAPS attributed the conviction and the length of the sentence in part to the quality of the investigation.
Mpumalanga SAPS member arrested for girlfriend's murder
In similar news, a member of the South African National Defence Force has been found guilty of the murder of his girlfriend and violating a protection order against him.Welcome Sambo, aged 32, was sentenced on Tuesday, 30 May, at the Mpumalanga High Court in Mbombela. Reports say Sambo went to Wandile Lucia Khoza's workplace at the Nkomazi municipality in Malelana carrying a firearm.Sambo found Khoza at her workplace, and an argument ensued. He then fired several shots at Khoza before fleeing the scene.
Soldier charged with attempted murder
Briefly News previously reported that the attempted murder case against a South African National Defence Force soldier had been delayed once again after the soldier’s attorney was a no-show in the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday, 10 January.
According to the charge sheet, the 45-year-old soldier is accused of knowingly infecting his ex-partner, a corporal in the SA Air Force, with HIV. The soldier’s defence attorney informed the court that he could not attend the trial due to a family crisis. The state prosecutor, Emile van der Merwe, wants the court to investigate if there have been unreasonable delays.
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Source: Briefly News
