- The man accused of the murder of student, Precious Ramabulana, has pleaded guilty to all the charges against him.
- He told the Limpopo High Court in Polokwane that he didn't have the courage to confess his love for her in a proper way.
- The deceased's family has expressed a wish for the accused to be sentenced to life imprisonment.
A 29-year-old man accused of killing student, Precious Ramabulana, has pleaded guilty to murder, rape and robbery with aggravating circumstances.
Aubrey Manaka made a startling admission in a statement that his lawyer read into the record in the Limpopo High Court in Polokwane on Wednesday.
In the statement, he said he visited his aunt in Mokomene village in Botlokwa. While walking in the street, he saw Ramabulana dancing with her friends on the patio of her home. He developed an interest in her.
On 23 November 2019, he indulged heavily in alcohol until the early hours of the following morning, when he decided to go to Ramabulana's place and confess his love for her.
However, he realised that she might not open the door for him at that hour.
"I forcefully entered her home. She resisted and there was a fight. I had sexual intercourse with her without her consent. The deceased may have died because of the injuries I inflicted on her by a knife," Manaka said.
He said:
He apologised to the family for his actions and asked the court to be lenient towards him.
After posing several questions to the accused, Judge Francis Kganyago said the court was satisfied with the guilty plea.
Prosecutor Trott Mphahlele told the court that Manaka had a previous conviction of assault with the intent to do grievous bodily harm. He was sentenced to four months or R1 000, which was wholly suspended for five years. He committed the murder during the period of suspension.
The court heard that a further charge of rape against him, which involved a 4-year-old girl, had been withdrawn due to lack of evidence.
Ramabulana's aunt, Mavis Sethlodimela, told the media outside court that the family was still in pain and wished the accused could spend the rest of his life behind bars.
Sethlodimela said:
The case was postponed to 10 June 2021 for evidence in mitigation of the sentence.
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