"On a date to be set by the President you shall be hanged by the neck until you are dead," Justice Maruping Dibotelo told the convicts and the dead-silent members of the public. Dibotelo also sentenced Molefhe to five years' imprisonment for unlawful possession of an arm of war and a fine of P250 or three months in jail for possession of ammunition.
Sampson also received five years imprisonment for unlawful possession of an arm of war.
Judge Dibotelo said that on January 28 this year he ruled that there were extenuating circumstances in favour of Molefhe and that there were no such circumstances in favour of Sampson. He said that after that he called the defence attorneys Ookeditse Maphakwane and Duma Boko, at their request, to make submissions in mitigation to show that it was possible for the court to sentence a convicted person to a lesser sentence than death even where extenuating circumstances were not found. He said that Boko argued that Sampson accompanied Moelefhe to Ncube's place as a result of unflinching friendship and loyalty to him hence the court should show mercy on him. "Against this argument it must be noted that there is no evidence or any suggestion that he was forced or coerced into accompanying Molefhe to the place where the two of them murdered the deceased persons," he said.
