…as Justice Mokoko delivers damning verdict in chilling triple-murder case
Moorosi Tsiane
HIGH Court Judge, Tšeliso Mokoko, has convicted three men for the brutal murder of radio personality Ralikonelo “Leqhashasha” Joki, bringing to a close a case that has gripped the nation since May 2023.
In a judgment delivered yesterday, Justice Mokoko also found the trio guilty of two additional murders committed just days after Joki’s assassination — unmasking a cold, calculated serial trail of violence.
Justice Mokoko’s verdict moves the long-running case toward its conclusion, with convicts Mothusi Tlelase, Sootho Liphoto, and Kamo Phakoe now awaiting sentencing.
The fourth accused, Moabi Sesioana, was acquitted on Joki’s murder charge.
Nonetheless, Sesioane was found guilty together with Tlelase, Liphoto, for the 20 May 2023 murders of Parliament Committee Coordinator Mothibe Mothibe and Thomello Ntsane, a sister of Senior Assistant Commissioner of Police Mamello Ntsane.
Delivering judgment, Justice Mokoko said the Crown, led by Advocate Christopher Lephuthing, had successfully proved its case beyond reasonable doubt, relying heavily on the doctrine of common purpose.
Adv Lephuthing called 17 witnesses to demonstrate how Tlelase, Liphoto, Phakoe, and Sesioana acted in concert in arranging and executing Joki’s murder. However, Sesioana was acquitted on that specific count.
“The evidence showed that the plan had been made to kill Joki,” Justice Mokoko said.
“It was not a coincidence that Tlelase, Liphoto, and Phakoe asked Kumi (Teboho) to take them to Tšenolo FM. They told him they intended to kill Joki. When he asked why they had not told him earlier, Liphoto said he would not have agreed to take them to Ha Thamae — and that they shot him because oa phapha (he was too forward).”
Phakoe, the judge noted, never distanced himself from the plot.
“Even when Tlelase and Liphoto went out to shoot Joki, Phakoe remained in the vehicle to ensure Kumi did not leave the scene. He was fully aware of the mission. His version that he did not know is untruthful. He acted in common purpose,” the judge ruled.
Evidence from Kumi, accomplice witness Sekhobe Maama, and Papiso – who confirmed Joki’s voice on air that night – further cemented the Crown’s case.
Maama testified that on a day he could not recall, the three accused visited him seeking contact numbers for someone from St Michael’s, Joki’s home village, saying they were “looking for Joki” and intended to kill him over initiation school issues he did not understand.
“His evidence shows that at all material times the three accused were together, from when they visited him to when they went to Ha Thamae,” Justice Mokoko said.
Turning to the murder of Mothibe, Justice Mokoko dismissed the defence claim that the accused travelled to Mokema to buy a gun from Maama.
“This version is an afterthought. Evidence showed a plan to kill Mothibe,” he ruled.
He said the court found that Moabi had admitted during bail proceedings that he handed firearms to police, undermining his claim that the black bag recovered in Klerksdorp contained gold and money.
“Evidence further showed that Moabi instructed that after Mothibe was killed, his gun should be taken, and it was found with him (Mothibe). His intention materialised. Tlelase and Liphoto acted in common purpose,” Judge Mokoko said.
In the course of that attack, Ntsane was also killed.
Justice Mokoko therefore ruled that Adv Lephuthing had proved beyond reasonable doubt that the accused were guilty of the charges they faced.
“In count one, Tlelase, Liphoto and Phakoe are found guilty of the murder of Joki, while Moabi is acquitted. In count two, Tlelase, Liphoto and Moabi are found guilty of the murder of Mothibe. In count three, Tlelase, Liphoto and Moabi are found guilty of the murder of Ntsane.
“Tlelase, Liphoto and Moabi are also found guilty on a charge relating to the theft of Mothibe’s property, while Tlelase and Liphoto are additionally found guilty of being in possession of an illegal firearm on 14 and 20 May 2023, respectively,” ruled Justice Mokoko.
After delivering the verdict, Justice Mokoko directed that defence lawyer Adv Lepeli Molapo to mitigate the sentence today (Thursday), while Adv Lephuthing will present aggravating factors before sentencing is handed down.
