Dad who killed 4 sons awaits sentence

SENTENCING in the case of the Limpopo father convicted of murdering his four young sons has been reserved until today by the Limpopo High Court in Polokwane.

Judge Joseph Raulinga announced yesterday that he would pass sentence today after the State and defence closed their arguments in aggravation and mitigation in the case of Lesiba Kekana, 37, who earlier this week pleaded guilty to the murders.

Kekana killed Bokang, 13, Keneilwe, 10, Hlologelo, 6, and Lekgoledi, 4, in September last year after a dispute with his wife.

The State closed its case after Lorraine Kekana broke down when recalling the moments when her four sons were killed.

She recounted how she was forced to listen over the phone as Kekana cut the throats of the couple’s children one after the other. She told the court that her husband made one of her children call her and explain to her over the phone how his brothers were being killed, and she was left in a state of disbelief when she heard her sons groaning in the background.

“My heart is still bleeding in pain,” she told the court, before breaking out in loud sobs, at which point court officials rushed to console her. “The psychologist tries to help me heal due to the fact that I heard how my children were killed. I could imagine them, now I am suffering from depression,” she added.

On Tuesday Lesiba Kekana was found guilty on four counts of murder and a charge of attempted murder related to an earlier attack on his wife.

State prosecutor Nozizwe Molepo told the court that Kekana should spend a long time in jail as he did not respect life and had killed innocent children.

“My Lord, the accused could have left his children with his mother and killed himself … He deserves to rot in jail, he does not deserve to be the father,” said Molepo.

Molepo said Kekana was a violent person. But Kekana’s legal representative, Desmond Nonyana, argued that his client was provoked.

Kekana said his wife was cheating on him. – ANA