They say if they had the necessary resources, they would appeal the sentence to put the man away for a long stretch of time.Boitaudi Otukile, a single mother of four was 43 years when she was killed in front of her children at Sekgarapane farmlands near Ratholo by Diboneng 'Sheba' Motlhabatlou, purportedly in a fit of jealousy after finding her in "a compromising position" with another man. The family of the deceased, including her two young children aged nine and 11 who witnessed the killing of their mother, sat huddled together as Justice Modiri Letsididi read out the judgement, convicting Motlhabatlou of murder with extenuating circumstances, and thereafter delivering the sentence of 17 years in jail.
Justice Letsididi said he took into consideration the fact that Motlhabatlou had acted out of jealousy "when he found the woman he was in love with sleeping with another man".He said that was provocation which gave rise to extenuating circumstances, hence instead of capital punishment imposed on people who planned and committed murder, Motlhabatlou would escape with a lesser sentence.
