Latest news with #MiddelburgRegionalCourt
The Citizen
18-07-2025
- The Citizen
Middelburg man found guilty of murder after fight over dagga plants
A man (28) was found guilty of murder after killing Kagiso Tshehla with a baseball bat in a fight, allegedly about dagga plants. Mandla Jerry Mahlangu was found guilty in the Middelburg Regional Court after he fatally struck Tshehla with a baseball bat on the head multiple times on October 7, 2020, Middelburg Observer reports. Dispute over dagga plants turns violent Itumeleng Tshehla, the victim's brother, testified in court that he was present when an argument ensued between him, his brother and Mahlangu. The fight was allegedly about Mahlangu's dagga plants that were removed from the garden by the two brothers. Itumeleng said that he and his brother then left and began walking home, but Mahlangu came out of his home carrying a baseball bat, heading toward Tshehla. He said he tried to warn his brother by shouting, but it was too late. Mahlangu repeatedly hit Tshehla with the baseball bat on his head and chest. Itumeleng added that Mahlangu attempted to hit him, and he sustained injuries on both his palms. Mahlangu then fled the scene. Itumeleng told the court that he took his brother home, where a friend drove them to the Middelburg Provincial Hospital. He said that due to Covid-19 restrictions, he could not go inside with his brother. Itumeleng was later informed that Tshehla had died due to his injuries. Mahlangu denies allegations Mahlangu denied the allegations and told the court that it was the two brothers who followed him to his home. He said he saw Tshehla standing at his gate and asked him to leave multiple times. He added that Tshehla asked if the two could talk, but Mahlangu refused and asked Tshehla to leave. Mahlangu testified that he eventually got tired of asking Tshehla to leave and walked into the house to fetch a baseball bat to scare the brothers into leaving. He added that after he saw Tshehla reaching into his pocket for what he believed to be a weapon, he started hitting him with the bat to protect himself, acting in self-defence. Court rejects self-defence claim Magistrate Deon Minnie, however, was not convinced. 'The accused agreed during his testimony that he was not scared when he approached the deceased at the gate, and that he did so while armed with the baseball bat, as the deceased had allegedly insulted his deceased mother. The assault on the deceased thus appears to have been executed in revenge.' The court held that Mahlangu could have foreseen the possibility that hitting Tshehla with the baseball bat could have fatally harmed him. Minnie added that by continuing to strike Tshehla on the head, Mahlangu reconciled himself with the consequences of his actions. His defence was rejected by the court, and Mahlangu was found guilty of murder. The case was postponed for sentencing. Breaking news at your fingertips… Follow Caxton Network News on Facebook and join our WhatsApp channel. Nuus wat saakmaak. Volg Caxton Netwerk-nuus op Facebook en sluit aan by ons WhatsApp-kanaal. Read original story on At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
The Citizen
16-07-2025
- The Citizen
Middelburg court finds 32-year-old man guilty of statutory rape
Mlungisi Mbongeni Thabethe (32) was found guilty in the Middelburg Regional Court on a charge of statutory rape after he had sex with a 13-year-old girl. According to Middelburg Observer, the incident took place between June and September 2023. The victim (who cannot be named due to the nature of the charges) testified that she and Thabethe had sex several times. In his plea, Thabethe told the court that he was in a consensual relationship with the victim, and also formally admitted that she was 13 years old at the time of the offence. He denied they had sex multiple times and said they only had sex once. The victim testified that she met Thabethe in 2023, when he was visiting a friend in the same street as her. She said he asked if they could date, and she told him she was only 13 and was too young. Thabethe allegedly told the girl her age didn't matter to him. The victim's parents pleaded with Thabethe to stay away from their daughter due to her age. When they realised their plea had fallen on deaf ears, they opened a case with the police. Thabethe was then arrested. He testified to the court that he was under the impression the victim was 19 years old, as per her Facebook profile. The victim replied by saying that she only wrote that she was 19 so she could open a Facebook account. Magistrate Deon Minnie stated that when the victim testified, she appeared to be a child under the age of 16, and did not give off the impression that she was older. 'This was so obvious that it must have been the same impression the accused had of the child's age as well,' he said. He added that any reasonable person, under these circumstances, would have at least taken the steps to confirm the victim's real age despite her appearance, in light of knowing that having sexual relations with a person under 16 is an offence. Thabethe was found guilty on the charge of statutory rape. It was stated that he was negligent for failing to enquire about exactly how old the girl was. The matter was postponed to August for sentencing. Read original story on At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
The Citizen
16-07-2025
- The Citizen
32-year-old man found guilty of statutory rape
Mlungisi Mbongeni Thabethe (32) was found guilty in the Middelburg Regional Court on a charge of statutory rape, after he had sex with a 13-year-old girl. The incident took place between June and September 2023. The victim (who cannot be named due to the nature of the charges) testified that she and Thabethe had sex several times. In his plea, Thabethe told the court that he was in a consensual relationship with the victim, and also formally admitted that she was 13 years old at the time of the offence. He further denied they had sex multiple times and said they only had sex once. The victim testified that she met Thabethe in 2023, when he was visiting a friend in the same street as her. She said he asked if they could date, and she told him she was only 13 and was too young. Thabethe allegedly told the girl her age didn't matter to him. The victim's parents pleaded with Thabethe to stay away from their daughter due to her age. When they realised their plea had fallen on deaf ears, they opened a case with the police. Thabethe was then arrested. He testified to the court that he was under the impression the victim was 19 years old, as per her Facebook profile. The victim replied by saying that she only wrote that she was 19 so she could open a Facebook account. Magistrate Deon Minnie stated that when the victim testified, she appeared to be a child under the age of 16, and did not give off the impression that she was older, 'This was so obvious that it must have been the same impression the accused had of the child's age as well,' he said. He further added that any reasonable person, under these circumstances, would have at least taken the steps to confirm the victim's real age despite her appearance, in light of knowing that having sexual relations with a person under 16 is an offence. • Thabethe was then found guilty on the charge of statutory rape. It was further stated that he was negligent for failing to enquire about exactly how old the girl was. • The matter was postponed to August for sentencing. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
