A North West police officer has been given a double life sentence in the Zeerust Magistrate’s Court for murder.
Warrant Officer Annius Mmuthle, 50, was found guilty of two counts of murder.
Mmuthe was stationed at the Nietverdiend police station.
He was convicted for murdering his estranged wife, Motshegwa Mmutle and her suspected lover, Katlego Selokwane in March 2023.
The spokesperson for the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid), Phaladi Shuping said it welcomed the sentencing.
“He followed his estranged wife and the suspected lover to a house in Zeerust township and fired shots that killed them instantly.
“The estranged wife, Motshegwa Mmutle was killed by two of the shots while the suspected lover, Katlego Selokwane, was killed by three bullets,” Shuping said.
The court also declared Mmutle unfit to possess a firearm.
Ipid Executive Director Dikeledi Ntlatseng has said it pains her even more when the perpetrator is an office of the law.
In a separate incident in the Northern Cape, a police constable attached to the specialised unit the Tactical Response Team (TRT) in Kimberley was sentenced for the rape of his own daughter.
The 39-year-old police Constable, who cannot be named to protect the identity of the complainant, raped his daughter at their home on July 3, 2023. The officer was dismissed from work while the matter was on trial.
The Galeshewe Regional Court sentenced the officer to life imprisonment and declared him unfit to possess a firearm.
The court further ordered that his name should be included in the National Register for Sex Offenders and he should not be allowed to work with children if he is released on parole.
robin.francke@iol.co.za
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