Kabelo Masoabi
A 38-year-old Mokhotlong man, Liphapang Rasethuntša, who admitted fatally stabbing his lover 26 times, is expected to learn his fate today when Acting Justice Tšooana Lesaoana sentences him for the brutal murder.
Rasethuntša pleaded guilty to the murder of 36-year-old ‘Mahlophang Selisi of Salang Village, Mokhotlong, who was stabbed 26 times near her home on the evening of 17 November 2024.
In mitigation of sentence on Monday, Rasethuntša told the court he had been deeply in love with the deceased and acted out of jealousy and frustration after discovering that she, although married, was also involved in a relationship with another man, Tšeliso Senoko.
Ms Selisi was allegedly dating both Rasethuntša and Mr Senoko while her husband was away, working in South Africa.
Rasethuntša said he reacted emotionally after Ms Selisi admitted to the affair and later confronted Mr Senoko by telephone, during which Mr Senoko allegedly threatened to shoot him if he continued interfering in the relationship.
Pleading for leniency, Rasethuntša asked the court to take into account his deteriorating health, saying he suffers from a terminal illness and is “consuming lifetime pills”, as he put it. He also said he was prepared to contribute towards the upbringing of Ms Selisi’s two children.
“My wife deserted our family in 2018, leaving me with our two children, aged 13 and 17. Since my detention in 2024, they have been under the care of my 75-year-old mother. I was their sole breadwinner, surviving on odd jobs, including construction work,” Rasethuntša, who said he only completed Standard Seven at school, told the court.
During the trial, Ms Selisi’s two children gave emotional testimony, recounting how they witnessed their mother’s fatal attack.
The children, an 11-year-old boy and his 15-year-old sister at the time of the killing, told the High Court they saw Rasethuntša repeatedly stabbing their mother after allegedly ambushing her near the family’s home.
The court heard that at about 7pm on the day of the incident, Ms Selisi left home to collect a cellphone from a neighbour. When she did not return, the children heard a scream, which the boy recognised as his mother’s voice.
They rushed outside and found a man pinning their mother to the ground while repeatedly stabbing her. The siblings said they threw stones at the attacker in an attempt to stop the assault.
They identified the attacker as Rasethuntša by his voice, saying he spoke to their mother during the attack. After he stepped away, the daughter shouted that he would be arrested, but he walked away without responding.
The children said Rasethuntša was well known to them because he frequently visited their mother at home.
Ms Selisi was rushed to hospital but died while receiving treatment.
The court also heard that, before the fatal attack, Ms Selisi had laid a sexual assault charge against Rasethuntša. He was released on bail and allegedly killed her days later.
In a written confession recorded at the Mokhotlong Magistrate’s Court on 19 November 2024, Rasethuntša admitted to the killing.
He told the court he had been in a romantic relationship with the married woman and that they often exchanged cellphones. While using her phone, he discovered a contact saved as “My Husband”.
Rasethuntša said he knew the deceased had saved her actual husband’s number under the surname “Selisi”. When he confronted her, she admitted she was involved with another man, Tšeliso Senoko. He said he slapped her and forced her to call Mr Senoko to end the relationship.
The call led to a heated exchange between the two men.
“During another phone call, Tšeliso told me to go back to the woman I had assaulted because of him so that he could meet me face-to-face and shoot me, making me soil myself,” Rasethuntša said in his confession.
He further claimed that he later went to Ms Selisi’s home and waited outside, where he allegedly overheard her and Mr Senoko discussing a plan to implicate him in a sexual offence so that he would be imprisoned.
A few days later, he was summoned to the police station and charged with a sexual offence involving the deceased. After being released on bail, he said he attempted to arrange a meeting at the chief’s place to resolve the matter, but Ms Selisi refused.
“Later that night, I saw her and decided to take her life. I met her and asked why she was refusing a settlement. I stabbed her because she wanted me to go to jail over lies. I do not know what drove me to do that. After I heard that she had died, I surrendered myself to the police,” his confession read.
The deceased’s husband, Bernard Selisi, who works in South Africa, told police he counted 26 stab wounds on his wife’s body during the post-mortem examination.
The examination confirmed that Ms Selisi had sustained 26 stab wounds to various parts of her body, including her thighs, hands, back, neck and head.
The murder weapon, a brown Okapi knife, was produced in court by the investigating officer, Detective Police Constable Letlatsa Letlala.
