Polokwane – They say never judge a book by its cover.
Looking at the slender 48-year-old Stanley Madimetja Kekana, you would never know he was capable of such deadly violence against someone he supposedly loved.
In a fit of anger during an argument, Kekana poured paraffin onto his live-in 30-year-old girlfriend, Tshepiso Aphane, and set her alight.
Kekana carried out the callous attack on 12 February 2022 at about 17:00 at Magatle village.
Kekana went into the house, collected paraffin, doused the mother of his children with the highly flammable liquid, and set her alight.
One can only imagine the excruciating pain the woman must have suffered.
At some point, Kekana poured water on her to put out the fire before he fled.
Suffering from severe burn wounds, Aphane bravely struggled to get to her aunt, who lived nearby.
From there, she was taken to a hospital.
The couple’s two children, then aged 11 and nine, witnessed the terrifying violence, which was reported to the police.
Kekana was arrested at Magatle village, Limpopo, soon after the incident and charged with manslaughter.
However, Aphane succumbed to her burn wounds in hospital, and the matter was upgraded to murder.
Kekana was tried and found guilty of murder.
This week, on Wednesday, 14 October 2026, the Polokwane High Court meted out a life sentence to Kekana.
Commenting on the matter, the Provincial Commissioner of Police in Limpopo, Lieutenant General Jan Scheepers, said he welcomed the sentence.
He stated that the loss of life through gender-based violence remains a serious concern and that perpetrators must be held accountable for their actions.
“The life sentence sends a strong message that acts of violence against women will not be tolerated,” said Lieutenant General Scheepers.
“It is particularly heartbreaking that this incident occurred in the presence of young children, who were exposed to a traumatic experience and subsequently lost their mother.
“We hope that this sentence will bring some measure of comfort to the bereaved family.
“We continue to urge couples to seek peaceful ways of resolving disputes and encourage victims of domestic violence to seek help before situations escalate.”
