Death row inmates� last plea for life
Tumelo Mouwane | Thursday September 14, 2017 16:38
Tshiamo Kgalalelo and Mmika Mpe were earlier this year convicted of abducting, robbing and killing their employer, Reinette Vorster, before stealing her motor vehicle and burning her inside it.
Attorneys, Themba Joina for Kgalalelo, and Archibald Gijima for Mpe, are due to submit extenuating and mitigating factors in favour of their clients, in an effort to stave off the death penalty.
Yesterday, an insider close to the case told Mmegi that the lawyers had already submitted written mitigating and extenuating circumstances in the past 14 days and as such, there was no room for any further delays in the matter. “The mitigating and extenuating circumstances have been already filed as Judge Tafa had ordered, and we are hopeful that this time around there will be some progress. We expect defendants to mitigate verbally today and we also expect at the same time that there won’t be long presentations because the arguments have already been filed,” the source said.
The case has dragged since the guilty verdict was announced earlier this year, with Tafa growing exasperated by the frequent glitches. Mitigation and extenuation was due to have been done on June 28, but failed after Joina did not appear, triggering a stern warning from Tafa. It is reported that anti-death penalty groups are closely following the case with a view to jumping in should Tafa send the duo to the gallows.