Convicted killer, Ivan Magokane, who mercilessly shot and killed a City of Cape Town official during a fight with his ex-girlfriend has been sentenced to 45 years imprisonment.
Just a day after he cried in court, saying he was sorry for murdering Mpharu Hloyi, who tried to stop the fight, the Western Cape High Court has ruled that he showed no real remorse and handed down a life sentence for premeditated murder.
The shocking shooting at the Athlone Water and Waste Depot in March 2022 left City of Cape Town workers traumatised after Magokane fired wildly at staff as he stalked his ex, Shirley Malema.
According to the indictment, the couple started dating in 2014 and got engaged a year later. In February last year, Malema ended the relationship due to Magokane’s abuse and moved from Pretoria to Cape Town for a new job.
The document further stated that Magokane would often visit Malema to see his son and put bullets in her hand, making her believe that he would kill her if she left him.
On March 28, 2022, while at work at the plant in Athlone, Malema was contacted by her colleague Hloyi, who told her that Magokane was there to see her.
Malema feared for her safety and called the police, as she knew Magokane had a firearm.
When Hloyi tried to mediate between the couple, Magokane shot her in the head.
He fired several shots at Malema, and as two other staffers arrived to see what was happening, he also shot and injured them.
Magokane was convicted by Acting Deputy Judge President Andre le Grange on one count of murder, two counts of attempted murder and one count of assault on Malema.
During sentencing on Thursday, Le Grange described Hloyi as the “heart of her household’’ and said the trauma and hurt felt by her family was evident during the trial.
The judge did not mince his words, as he said Magokane had shown no remorse for his actions, and slammed him for abusing Malema.
Le Grange said: “She (Malema) simply refused to be treated as a possession, and to assert his male dominance, he had the audacity to assault her.
“The killing of the deceased was a show of brutal force against a defenceless woman who was only trying to mediate between the couple.’’
Magokane received a life sentence for the murder, 10 years imprisonment for each count of attempted murder and six months imprisonment for assault.
The sentences will run concurrently and he will serve an effective 25 years in prison.
Hloyi’s sister, Motlatsi Mpete, 42, said they were happy with the sentence, but it will not bring back the mom of three.
“We are happy with the sentence and we agree that he had no remorse. The court did say he regretted what he did, but we believe he only regretted that he got caught.
“She was a spiritual woman who was a gender-based violence (GBV) activist and a community leader. As a family, we feel her loss,” Mpete said.