Moorosi Tsiane

A 27-year-old Maseru woman, Lintle Letima, who fatally stabbed her boyfriend, Motseki Kholotsa, in Mashoeshoe II on 9 November 2024, has been spared jail after the High Court handed her a wholly suspended sentence.

Justice Tšeliso Mokoko sentenced Letima to seven years’ imprisonment but suspended the entire sentence for three years on condition that she pays M50 000 in compensation to the deceased’s family. The court found her guilty of culpable homicide.

Letima, who was represented by Advocate Mk’hanji Kao, pleaded guilty to the charge when she appeared before Justice Mokoko.

Crown counsel, Adv Tsebiso Fuma, told the court that the fatal confrontation stemmed from a lovers’ dispute that began earlier that evening at a bar in Sea Point, Maseru.

According to the prosecution, Kholotsa had been celebrating the graduation of another girlfriend with his friends when Letima — who was also romantically involved with him — arrived at the bar demanding to speak with him.

The situation escalated after Kholotsa allegedly refused to engage with her.

Adv Fuma said an argument broke out and Kholotsa allegedly slapped Letima so hard that she fell to the ground before leaving the bar with his friends.

Later that night, Letima phoned Kholotsa, saying she wanted to collect her belongings from the apartment they had been sharing.

When she arrived and knocked, Kholotsa opened the door but refused to allow her inside, sparking another heated argument at the doorway.

During the confrontation, Letima grabbed a knife and stabbed Kholotsa once in the chest.

Kholotsa’s friends rushed him to Maseru District Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

The court heard that after the stabbing, Letima locked herself in another room in the house.

When Kholotsa’s friends eventually persuaded her to open the door, they found her holding two knives and attempting to take her own life.

They managed to calm her down and convinced her not to harm herself.

She later handed herself over to police at Pitso Ground Police Station.

During mitigation, Adv Kao told the court that Letima and Kholotsa had been in a serious romantic relationship and had lived together for some time.

He said tensions escalated after Kholotsa began seeing another woman at a time when Letima had just discovered she was pregnant with his child.

Kao also submitted that both Letima and Kholotsa had been drinking alcohol on the night of the incident and emotions had run high during the confrontations.

He said Letima had shown genuine remorse and had even attempted suicide immediately after the stabbing.

“She handed herself over to the police, cooperated with the investigations and complied with all bail conditions,” Kao said.

Kao further told the court that Letima had attempted to contribute towards Kholotsa’s funeral expenses, but the family initially rejected the offer.

He said the two families later reached an agreement regarding traditional compensation for the “raising of the head”.

“They agreed on M30 000 compensation to be paid within one year,” Kao told the court, adding that the defence was seeking a non-custodial sentence so that Letima could fulfil that obligation.

In aggravation, Adv Fuma urged the court to consider that a young man had lost his life and left behind parents who had hoped he would one day care for them.

“The court must consider the sanctity of life and ensure the sentence serves as a deterrent to others who resort to violence,” he said.

Justice Mokoko also called Letima to the witness stand to explain how she intended to pay compensation to the Kholotsa family.

She told the court that she was employed and that her parents had offered to assist her financially, although the judge said the court could not rely on promises from third parties.

After briefly adjourning proceedings for about 30 minutes, Justice Mokoko returned to deliver the sentence.

“The court has considered both mitigation and aggravation in this matter,” he said.

“The court accepts that on that fateful night you did not intend to kill the deceased. The evidence shows that the deceased slapped you and you reacted in the heat of the moment.”

The judge said Letima’s attempt to take her own life afterwards showed the emotional turmoil she experienced after realising what had happened.

“The court believes in the sanctity of life and people must learn to resolve disagreements amicably without resorting to violence,” he said.

Justice Mokoko added that although Letima had shown remorse, the court still had a duty to send a strong message against violence.

“The sentence must demonstrate that this court does not take lightly the killing of another person,” he said.

Letima was ordered to pay the M50 000 compensation within three years into the bank account of Kholotsa’s mother, with proof of payment to be submitted to the High Court Registrar.