The Mthatha High Court sentenced 39-year-old Noncedo Mqokro to 15 years in prison. She was convicted on two counts of murder and one count of housebreaking with intent to commit an offence.
The court ordered her 15-year sentences for each murder, along with an eight-year sentence for housebreaking, to run concurrently.
Fatal stabbing after alleged infidelity
In her guilty plea, Mqokro admitted to fatally stabbing her boyfriend, the father of her child, and her distant aunt, whom she found in bed with him.
The killings took place on the night of 19 May 2024, after Mqokro attended a traditional ceremony in her home village of Nondindwa, Mcothama, in the Centane district.
She told the court she had been drinking alcohol and decided to visit her boyfriend at his home in the nearby village of Khabakazi.
Upon arrival, he refused to let her in when she looked through a window. She said she saw him having sex with her distant aunt, who shared her mother’s clan name.
In a fit of rage, Mqokro forced the door open. Retrieved a dagger from a bucket where the boyfriend usually hid it, and attacked the pair.
She could not recall how many times she stabbed them, but claimed they were still alive when she left.
She later confessed the attack to the boyfriend’s mother and handed herself over to police the next day, after learning the two had died from their injuries.
The court considers the history of abuse and remorse
During sentencing, the court took into account a pre-sentence report which revealed that Mqokro suffered from epilepsy and received a social grant due to her condition.
She had also previously escaped an abusive marriage and bore scars from past abuse allegedly inflicted by the deceased boyfriend.
State Advocate Loyiso Methuso acknowledged the tragic loss of life, particularly for the children of the deceased, but confirmed that Mqokro showed remorse and needed professional support.
Her youngest daughter had reportedly blamed her for the father’s death.
Prosecution warns against taking the law into one’s hands
Eastern Cape Director of Public Prosecutions, Barry Madolo, welcomed the sentence.
He urged individuals in abusive relationships to seek help through legal channels.
“This outcome should serve as a caution that no matter the provocation, those who commit violent crimes will face the consequences,” said Madolo.
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