Father buries five years old son alive following divorce from the mother
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Photo: Page3 Reporter
The High Court in Polokwane Division has sentenced a 36 years old man to 20 years life imprisonment following the murder of his son.
Lai Phepheng from Ngwanamatle Village in Jane Furse killed his son, a 5 years old Thato Phepheng on December 1st, 2019 in his yard in Jane Furse.
It is said that he took his son from his grandmother’s home in Germiston while his mother was at work where he buried him alive in a shallow grave in his yard.
Learning about the incident, the community confronted Phepheng and was only arrested few days later.
NPA Regional Spokesperson Mashudu Malabi-Dzhangi said that Phepheng pleaded guilty to the charges and stated that he was angry after the mother of the child divorced him.
The prosecutor, Advocate Sontaga Malefahlo, asked the court to impose a harsh punishment on Phepheng because he killed an innocent child over his separation from his mother.
“The killing of the deceased was brutal. He knew very well that his son was a very little innocent boy but he did not care about the little soul.”
“Although the accused did show remorse and pleaded guilty to the charges the court should impose a harsh punishment on the accused because he killed the deceased for no reason. Killing of women and children has become a serious problem in our country and the courts must send a message that these evil actions will not go unpunished,” said Malefahlo.
