The Provincial Commissioner of Police in Limpopo, Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe, has commended the sentencing of a 38-year-old man convicted of murder and multiple other charges following a comprehensive investigation by the South African Police Service (SAPS).
On Tuesday, 10 March 2026, the Polokwane High Court sentenced Ramabulana Collen Kgatle (38) on six counts related to the murder of a 37-year-old woman and other serious offences.
The case was investigated by Detective Sergeant Solly Legodi, attached to the Tzaneen Detectives.
The court handed down the following sentences:
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Count 1: Murder – Life imprisonment
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Count 2: Robbery with aggravating circumstances – 20 years imprisonment
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Count 3: Robbery with aggravating circumstances – 20 years imprisonment
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Count 4: Pointing of a firearm – 2 years imprisonment
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Count 5: Unlawful possession of a firearm – 5 years imprisonment
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Count 6: Unlawful possession of ammunition – 1 year imprisonment
In addition to the sentences, Kgatle was declared unfit to possess a firearm.
The convictions stem from an incident on Friday, 29 March 2024, when the body of a 37-year-old woman was discovered near a river close to the Thapane Dam in the Bolobedu South policing area. Subsequent investigation led to the arrest of the accused, during which he was found in possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition.