Ga-Rankuwa – Three men accused of killing LGBTQI+ activist Sam Mbatha have been found guilty on all charges relating to his murder.
The accused, 19-year-old Arthur Khoza, 21-year-old Mahlatsi Nkuna, and 22-year-old Thato Mosetla, were on Tuesday found guilty of murder at the North West High Court sitting in Ga-Rankuwa.
All three accused were facing charges of robbery with aggravating circumstances, kidnapping, murder, malicious damage to property, and defeating the ends of justice.
The charges were linked to the gruesome death of 24-year-old Sam Mbatha.
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The National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson in North West, Henry Mamothame said:
“Judge Frances Reid found the three guilty on all charges against them,” he said.
The case was postponed to 25 July 2024 for sentencing.
The three were arrested following an intensive police investigation linked them to the murder of Mbatha.
“Police investigations led them to a house in the Phutha section near Klipgat on Monday, 21 June 2021, where they found bloodstains on the floor, under and on top of a bed, as well as on a carpet,” said Mamothame.
“Furthermore, an axe suspected to have been used during the commission of this crime was found on top of the roof of the house.”
DNA samples positively identified Sam Mbatha as the deceased person, whose body was found inside a burnt Hyundai i20 vehicle, at a soccer field in Ikageng Section on 17 June 2021.
Mosetla was denied bail in July 2022, after he initially abandoned it, after his arrest. Khoza and Nkuna were granted R500 bail each.
“The Director of Public Prosecutions in the North West, Dr. Rachel Makhari, welcomed the judgment and expressed hope for a suitable sentence to be imposed against the trio when the matter appears in court in July,” Mamothame said.
