Convicted killer sobs, begs for forgiveness
CONVICTED killer Ivan Magokane has begged for forgiveness after he was found guilty of shooting and killing a City employee during a fight with his girlfriend.
A year after the shooting, which rocked the Water and Waste plant in Athlone, Magokane was found guilty of murdering his girlfriend’s boss and attempting to kill two of her colleagues.
He returned to the Western Cape High Court yesterday as sentencing proceedings got under way.
City workers were left traumatised after Magokane allegedly fired wildly at staff in search of his former girlfriend, Shirley Malema, in March 2022.
According to the indictment, the couple started dating in 2014 and got engaged a year later as lobola negotiations were under way.
Malema eventually ended the relationship and moved from Pretoria to Cape Town because she got a job.
“The end of their relationship was also imminent due to the consistent verbal, physical and emotional abuse,” the court document read.
It further stated that Magokane would often visit Malema to see his son and allegedly put bullets in her hand, instilling a belief 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 Johanna Hloyi, who told her that Magokane was there to see her.
She allegedly feared for her safety and called the police as she knew he had a firearm.
Things became heated when Hloyi tried to mediate between the couple.
Magokane allegedly then took out his firearm and shot and killed Hloyi.
He fired several shots at Malema and as two other staffers arrived to see what was happening, he also shot them.
The two women along with Malema survived the horror shooting, but Hloyi was declared dead on the scene after being shot in the head.
Magokane was subsequently found guilty 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.
Taking the stand yesterday, Magokane, 42, cried as he begged Hloyi’s family for forgiveness.
“On April 6, 2022, when I attended the first court appearance I saw females of the deceased and wanted to apologise for taking their child’s life.
“It was not my intention, even though I was found guilty.
“It haunts me day and night that I have taken a life,” he said, as he started to sob in the dock while pleading for a lesser sentence.
The State prosecutor, advocate Evadne Kortje, said they called on the court to hand down a life sentence and outlined the impact on Malema and her colleagues.
The prosecutor told the court that Malema had to be moved to another plant as many believed her domestic fight had resulted in the death of her colleague.
Kortje lambasted Magokane, saying he had no remorse and was crying “tears of regret’’.
Sentencing proceedings continue today.