POLOKWANE – The Limpopo Division of the High Court had today sentenced the accused, Mapula Florah Manaka (40) to 27 years imprisonment for orchestrating the murder of her husband Archie Manaka, aged 43, during an incident that occurred in April 2020.

The High Court in Polokwane heard that the deceased’s wife and her boyfriend plotted a murder against her husband who was an IT Specialist in Polokwane.

On 08 April 2020, the deceased was attacked and stabbed several times at his home in Moletjie, Ga-Makweya, in the Seshego policing area outside the City of Polokwane during what was believed to be a house robbery. When the police arrived at the scene, the deceased’s wife reported that three unknown suspects forcefully entered the house, attacked her husband and took an undisclosed amount of cash and a laptop and fled the scene.

Cases of murder and robbery were opened. The Police investigations and manhunt for the suspects involved ensued.

A Special Task Team comprising the Provincial Tracking Team, Provincial Investigation Unit and Provincial Crime Intelligence Unit was established and spearheaded the investigation.

The deceased’s wife, her boyfriend Agrinate Makhubela, aged 27, and his accomplice aged 30, were arrested a after few months after the incident.

The investigating officer, Detective Sergeant Noko Mashitisho, attached to the Provincial Investigation Unit, successfully opposed bail and the accused were kept in custody until the finalisation of trial. The third accused has since turned into a State witness. Meanwhile, the case against the accused’s boyfriend Agrinate Makhubela, is yet to be finalised in court.

The accused was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment for murder and seven years for conspiracy to commit murder. The sentences will run concurrently, meaning the accused will serve an effective 20 years imprisonment.

The Provincial Commissioner of Police in Limpopo, Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe, is impressed by the exceptional investigations conducted by Sergeant Mashitisho, assisted by the Team that led to the ultimate arrest and subsequent incarceration of the accused for a long time.

Source: South African Police Service