A 38-year-old Lesotho national has been sentenced to life imprisonment after being convicted of the premeditated murders of his colleague and employer on a farm near Komani in the Eastern Cape.
Selebalo Mokoena was sentenced by the Makhanda High Court, sitting as the Komani Circuit Court, on Wednesday, following his conviction on two counts of murder and immigration-related offences.
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According to National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Luxolo Tiyali, the court heard that Mokoena and the first victim, 44-year-old Tsolo Tsonamatsie, were employed as shepherds at Hayden Park Farm.
The second victim, 74-year-old Khwezi Sishuba, was Tsonamatsie’s employer.
Tiyali said Mokoena developed a grievance against both men following a dispute over payment for work performed and an earlier altercation with Tsonamatsie.
“Motivated by anger and revenge, Selebalo embarked on a violent course of conduct that culminated in the deaths of both victims,” said Tiyali.
The court heard that on May 13, 2025, Mokoena went to Tsonamatsie’s residence and found him intoxicated and asleep.
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“He assaulted him with an axe or similar object, inflicting multiple skull fractures and severe brain injuries. Tsonamatsie died at the scene,” said Tiyali.
Following the killing, Mokoena fled the farm but continued threatening Sishuba.
He allegedly slashed the tyres of the farmer’s vehicle and repeatedly threatened to burn down his home.
Tiyali said Mokoena later attempted to carry out those threats by setting fire to the residence, but the blaze was extinguished before significant damage was caused.
The court heard that Mokoena returned to the farm days later and confronted Sishuba on May 25, 2025.
“He led him to a camp on the farm and launched a further violent attack, repeatedly stabbing him in the chest and abdomen and inflicting additional injuries. Sishuba succumbed to his injuries at the scene,” said Tiyali.
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After the second murder, Mokoena fled to a neighbouring farm where he sought refuge at his girlfriend’s residence.
She alerted police, leading to his arrest.
During the trial, State Advocate Thandiwe Kaleni presented post-mortem reports, crime scene photographs, DNA evidence linking Mokoena to the second murder, and victim impact statements from the families of the deceased.
The State argued that both murders were carefully planned and carried out with extreme violence, and that no substantial or compelling circumstances existed to justify a lesser sentence.
The court agreed and imposed life imprisonment on each of the two murder counts.
Mokoena was also sentenced to two years’ imprisonment for entering South Africa without a valid passport and a further two years for remaining in the country unlawfully.
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Those sentences will run concurrently with the life sentences, resulting in an effective sentence of life imprisonment.
Acting Director of Public Prosecutions in the Eastern Cape, Advocate Samkelo Mtwana, welcomed the outcome.
“This sentence sends a clear message that those who commit violent crimes in our communities will face the full might of the law. The accused unlawfully entered and remained in South Africa before embarking on a calculated and brutal campaign of violence that claimed two lives,” said Mtwana.
“This outcome affirms the NPA’s commitment to securing justice for victims and holding offenders accountable.”
