Police officer sentenced to double life imprisonment for killing his estranged wife and her boyfriend in South Africa

Wednesday, August 28, 2024 - The Zeerust Regional Court in South Africa has sentenced a South African police officer, Annius Mmutle,50, to double life imprisonment for killing his estranged wife and her boyfriend.

The incident happened on March 14, 2023, in Zeerust, North West Province.

The court ordered that both sentences should run concurrently, and the accused was declared unfit to possess a firearm.

Mmutle, a Detective Warrant Officer, stationed at Nietverdint police station, was in separation with his wife as they were experiencing marital problems.

Sivenathi Gunya, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) Communications Officer of North West Division, in a statement on Tuesday, August 27, 2024, said that on the day of the incident, the accused followed his wife Motshegwa Mmutle, her boyfriend Katlego Selokwane, and her friend going to the friend's residence.

Shortly after they arrived, the accused arrived and started to shoot at them with approximately twelve bullets, killing the wife and the boyfriend instantly and the friend managed to escape the scene.

The accused called the police and was arrested on the same day. He was charged with two counts of murder. He was denied bail and has been in custody since then.

In aggravation of sentence, State Prosecutor Advocate Mabale, told the court that this was a premeditated murder and deprived the deceased the constitutional right to life.

Advocate Mabale, told the court that the accused was supposed to protect his partner and his family, particularly as he is a law enforcement officer but instead, he killed her.

The state emphasised that the court must be the source of hope for the victims and community and protect the interest of public at all times.

The prosecutor emphasised that no compelling and substantial grounds warrants the court to deviate from prescribed minimum sentence in terms of Section 51 (1) of Criminal Law Ammendment Act 105 of 1997. Therefore, he urged the court to impose life imprisonment.

In delivering the sentence the Magistrate Mothibi said the accused showed no remorse, the fact that he called the police after the shooting does not count as a sign of remorse. He further said violence is a scourge that is rife in our society as police official he was supposed to know better.

The Director of Public Prosecutions in the North West, Dr Rachel Makhari welcomed the sentence and lauded the Prosecutor and other role players who ensured that justice was served to the victims.

The DPP hopes this sentence will serve as deterrent to people that believe that acts of violence are the solutions to any problems they are facing.