A man from Lindley has been sentenced to two life terms in prison for the murders of his girlfriend and her 18-month-old daughter, whose decomposing bodies were discovered beneath a blanket in a locked bathroom.
Pule Abraham Tshabalala, from Ntha Township near Lindley, was also sentenced to an additional five years for defeating the ends of justice.
The Free State High Court sitting in Kroonstad handed down the sentence on 27 August. Free State Provincial Commissioner Lt. Gen. Thabang Lesia welcomed the sentence, saying it reflected the seriousness of crimes against women and children.
The case came to light on 31 December 2024 after police received a report about a house in Ntha township from which a foul smell was coming. Flies had gathered around one of the windows and police were told that Tshabalala, the occupant of the house, had not been sleeping there. Officers went to the property, but found no one inside.
They searched the surrounding area and eventually found Tshabalala standing at the gate of a nearby property. After obtaining permission to search the house, police entered the premises and were confronted by a strong stench coming from a locked bathroom.
Tshabalala refused to open the door. Police then removed paper covering the bathroom window and looked inside.
They discovered the decomposing bodies of an adult woman and a young child lying on the floor beneath a blanket. Tshabalala was arrested at the scene. Investigators later traced the woman’s family to Mamafubedu, near Petrus Steyn.
Her mother, Emily Mamoya Nkatlo, told police that she had last seen her daughter about two weeks earlier. According to Nkatlo, Tshabalala had invited her daughter and her 18-month-old child to visit him.
The decomposition of the bodies was so advanced that they could not be identified visually. DNA testing was subsequently conducted and confirmed the identities of both victims. The murders were investigated by Det. Sgt Thabo Lepotho of the Free State Provincial Murder and Robbery Unit, with WO Mmako Mophiring also involved in the investigation.
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