09 February 2026 

MAN SENTENCED TO DOUBLE LIFE TERMS PLUS 57 YEARS FOR FEMICIDE 

The High Court of South Africa, Eastern Cape Division, sitting in Butterworth sentenced Mandilakhe Balfour (45) to two life imprisonment terms for murder of two women. One of the deceased has a romantic history with Balfour who was also sentenced to an additional 57 years for an array of charges including attempted murder, possession of a firearm and ammunition with intent to commit murder as well as kidnapping. 

06 FEBRUARY 2026 

CAPE TOWN LAWYER SENTENCED FOR FAILURE TO SUBMIT TAX RETURNS FOR 20 YEARS 

Cape Town, South Africa; A Cape Town lawyer, Sulaiman Chotia, sole owner of J Ramages Attorneys, Athlone, has paid a R72 000 fine to avoid direct imprisonment following his conviction for failure to submit income tax returns for more than 20 years. Chotia entered into a plea and sentencing agreement with the state in terms of Section105A of the Criminal Procedure Act where he pleaded guilty to 18 statutory contraventions of the tax legislation. 

05 FEBRUARY 2026 

HIGH COURT SENTENCES MAN TO 30 YEARS’ IMPRISONMENT FOR MURDER OF EX-PARTNER 

05 February 2026 

DUO SENTENCED TO LIFE TERM FOR RAPE OF MINOR NEIGHBOUR 

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) welcomes the life imprisonment sentences imposed by the Gqeberha Regional Court against two men convicted of the rape of a 17-year-old girl in Gelvandale on 25 March 2023. The accused, aged 25 and 26 respectively, cannot be named to protect the identity of the victim. The complainant only reported the rape to her mother in October 2023, after realising that she was pregnant. This disclosure led to the arrest of the accused. 

05 February 2026 

DUO SENTENCED TO LIFE TERM FOR RAPE OF MINOR NEIGHBOUR 

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) welcomes the life imprisonment sentences imposed by the Gqeberha Regional Court against two men convicted of the rape of a 17-year-old girl in Gelvandale on 25 March 2023. The accused, aged 25 and 26 respectively, cannot be named to protect the identity of the victim. The complainant only reported the rape to her mother in October 2023, after realising that she was pregnant. This disclosure led to the arrest of the accused. 

05 FEBRUARY 2026 

BLOEMFONTEIN MOTHER SENTENCED TO 10 YEARS’ IMPRISONMENT FOR ASSAULT AND NEGLECT OF MINOR CHILDREN 

Bloemfontein, Free State – A 34-year-old Bloemfontein woman has been sentenced to an effective 10 years’ direct imprisonment by the Bloemfontein Regional Court after pleading guilty to multiple counts of assault and child neglect involving her minor children. The matter was prosecuted in the Bloemfontein Regional Court, where the accused admitted to all the charges preferred against her. 

05 February 2026 

NPA NOTES THE JUDGMENT FOLLOWING SECTION 174 RULING IN NMBM PROCUREMENT CASE 

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) will study the judgment delivered by the Gqeberha Specialised Commercial Crimes Court which discharged eight accused persons and two business entities that were indicted for alleged corruption and money-laundering relating to the awarding of a contract for the building of 2000 permanent toilets at a cost of R24,6 million as a COVID-19 dedensification measure in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality (NMBM). 

05 FEBRUARY 2026

WOMAN SENTENCED TO LIFE IMPRISONMENT FOR THE PREMEDITATED MURDER OF HER PARTNER

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) welcomes the sentence of life imprisonment handed down by the Springs Magistrates’ Court to Nonsumbuluko Majola (39) from Springs. This is after she was convicted of premeditated murder of her partner Mojalefa Sefali (39). The court declared her unfit to possess a firearm.

04 FEBRUARY 2026 

LIFE IMPRISONMENT FOR MURDER OF FIVE-YEAR-OLD NIECE 

The Mtubatuba Regional Court has sentenced a 27-year-old man to life imprisonment for the murder of his five-year-old niece, which was committed in December 2024 at Enkanjini, Hlabisa, in northern KwaZulu-Natal. 

04 FEBRUARY 2026 

TWENTY YEARS’ DIRECT IMPRISONMENT FOR PLEADING GUILTY TO RAPING A FAMILY MEMBER 

Wilken Cloete (24) has been sentenced to 20 years' direct imprisonment by the Garies Regional Court after he pleaded guilty to a charge of rape. Cloete is accused of raping a 15-year-old family member. The court heard that on 31 October 2024, the victim was watching television at the home of an acquaintance. She was lying on a bed next to the acquaintance’s three-year-old child, who was asleep, when the accused entered the room.