Thobani Kesa (age 39), who was found guilty of killing four members of his family because his parents did not pay him the full R20,000 promised when he built a house, was given four life sentences in jail by the Mthatha High Court.
Given that they could build and would be compensated like artisans when the construction is finished, Kesa’s parents asked him and his brother to construct a house on their homestead.
According to a report from the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), the parents were killed because they did not pay the whole amount. In July 2018, their mother, father, sister, and niece were found killed in their Tienbank village home in Sterkspruit.
According to Luxolo Tyali, a spokesperson for the NPA, Kesa’s parents gave him a deposit and they began construction on a house. But they did not complete it, and here is where the conflict began since they demanded the full amount.
The report goes on to state that after the brothers went to a small claims court to get their parents to pay them the remaining amount, Kesa insulted his parents and accused his mother of being a witch. As a result of their sons’ abuse, constant insults, and threats to kill them, the parents ultimately obtained a protection order against them.
These family members’ bloodstains were only found on Kesa’s clothes, which suggests that he beat them first before killing and burning them.
Tyali stated that killing family members is not normal, and this sentence demonstrates the NPA’s commitment to seeing that those who commit crimes are dealt with in a way that serves as a lesson to others.
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