Collen Rorisang Mogotsi, a 32-year-old South African man, has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for the brutal murder of his five-month-old son after his girlfriend and the child’s mother revealed he was not the biological father.
The Lehurutshe Regional Court issued the verdict on Tuesday, September 17, 2024, condemning Mogotsi’s actions and declaring him unfit to possess a firearm under the Firearm Control Act of 2000.
The incident occurred in the early hours of November 8, 2017, when police responded to a report from Willowpark, Lehurutshe, where the lifeless body of the infant was found with head and other injuries.
“He was declared dead by Emergency and Medical Rescue Services (EMRS) on the scene,” said Colonel Adéle Myburgh, police spokesperson.
Earlier that night, an argument erupted between the baby’s mother and Mogotsi in Dinokana village, outside Zeerust. During the confrontation, she told Mogotsi that the baby was not his biological child. Reports indicate that Mogotsi, who was intoxicated, reacted violently and assaulted the infant.
“Mogotsi then told the mother that the baby was dead and needed to be taken back to her parental home in Willowpark,” Myburgh added.
The police arrested Mogotsi shortly after the incident was reported, and he appeared in court on November 13, 2017.
The case was brought to justice thanks to the diligent efforts of Sergeant Thabo Tshweu of Lehurutshe Detectives and prosecutor Neo Sedumedi. Lieutenant General Sello Kwena, the provincial police commissioner, and Rachel Makhari, North West director of public prosecutions, praised the teamwork that led to the conviction.
