A year written in blood: Reflection from the Magistrate’s court :: Mmegi Online

The year 2025 will linger in the national memory as one of the most violent in recent times, not because the courts delivered an unprecedented number of convictions but because death overshadowed justice, writes Mmegi Correspondent LARONA MAKHAIZA

Reporting from the Magistrate’s court in 2025 revealed a troubling picture of a country grappling with extreme violence, where some cases ended not with verdicts but funerals. Although public perception may suggest otherwise, only two murder accused persons died before their cases could be concluded, where a 28-year-old woman, Kelebelle Babantsho from Old Naledi and Paul Matonko, a man living with albinism from Ramotswa, were killed.

Babantsho was facing a murder charge for stabbing her boyfriend, Maatla Merakeng, to death in his sleep. She was later killed by her friend whilst on bail after a fight.

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