The mother of two toddlers who were slain by their father when he realised that she had left him, on Monday told the Pretoria High Court she would never forgive him.
In an apparent vow to commit suicide, 23-year-old Obed Mahlangu of Tweerivier told his girlfriend, Rachel Molefe, and her family that he would ”follow his children” after being sentenced to 40 years imprisonment. He has to effectively serve 30 years for the June 2001 murder of the children.
Mahlangu earlier testified that he had been so upset that he decided to kill his three-year-old son Mike and four-year-old daughter Norah and himself after hearing that they had not eaten in two days. He said he no longer wanted to live and ”wanted to be with his children”.
He however later admitted that he was angry with his girlfriend and that he had killed the children to ”punish” her.
Acting judge Lyzette Meyer found that Mahlangu and his girlfriend had struggled to maintain themselves and their family and that Rachel’s mother had mostly supported them.
From the photographs of the children’s bodies and the post mortem reports it was clear that the children were not undernourished. From the evidence it was clear that Mahlangu had consistently exercised dominance and control over Rachel. His inability to provide sufficiently for his family had produced feelings of insecurity that reached a climax when Rachel left him the day before the murders.
”Children should be protected against abuses like this,” Meyer said. ”Regarding women and children as possessions is one form of abuse that needs to be stamped out.
”It is possibly the root of the prevalence of the abuse of women and children in this country.”
Meyer expressed concern and disgust that a full-time farm labourer like Mahlangu had only earned R360 per month. She accepted that he was very emotional when he killed his children, had seriously injured himself and now had to live with the knowledge of his callous deeds.
”There are indeed three victims in this case. Not only the children who were so brutally slain, but very much also their mother.
”She had irrevocably lost the two children to whom she gave life.
”The accused did not show any genuine remorse. No sentence the court can give will bring his children back. Rachel will never see and enjoy her children growing up.” – Sapa