The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has welcomed the effective life imprisonment sentence imposed by the Makhanda High Court on 38-year-old Lesotho national, Selenalo Mokoena. Mokoena was sentenced for the premeditated murders of two men on a farm near Komani. The accused was also convicted of entering and remaining in the Republic of South Africa without valid documentation.
The court heard that Mokoena and the first deceased, Tsolo Tsonamatsie (44), were employed as shepherds at Hyden Park Farm, while the second deceased, Khwezi Sishuba (74), was Tsonamatsie’s employer. Mokoena harboured a grievance against both men following a dispute over payment for work performed and a prior altercation with Tsonamatsie.
Motivated by anger and revenge, he embarked on a violent course of conduct that culminated in the deaths of both victims. On 13 May 2025, Mokoana went to Tsonamatsie’s residence, where he found him intoxicated and asleep. He assaulted him with an axe or similar object, inflicting multiple skull fractures and severe brain injuries and Tsonamatsie died at the scene.
Following the incident Mokoena fled the farm but continued to threaten Sishuba. He damaged the victim’s vehicle by slashing its tyres and repeatedly threatened to burn down his home. He later attempted to carry out these threats by setting the residence alight; however, the fire was extinguished before significant damage occurred. Undeterred, Mkoena returned to the farm, and launched a further violent attack, repeatedly stabbing him in the chest and abdomen and inflicting additional injuries. Sishuba succumbed to his injuries at the scene.
After the second murder, the accused fled to a neighbouring farm, where he sought refuge at his girlfriend’s residence. The girlfriend alerted the police, leading to his arrest.
