A court in South Africa has convicted a man of murdering his ex-girlfriend by stabbing her and then trying to conceal his crime by burning her body.
Sandile Mantsoe, 28, was arrested after the charred remains of Karabo Mokoena, 23, was found in a shallow grave near a suburb of the main city, Johannesburg, in April 2017.
Judge Peet Johnson said Mantsoe was an unreliable witness who had fabricated evidence during his trial.
Ms. Mokoena’s murder sparked outrage in South Africa, where femicides are around five times higher than the global average.
It also led to online accounts of physical and sexual abuse by men under the hashtag “MenAreTrash”.
The 28-year-old denied killing Mokoena. During his bail hearing, he claimed he had disposed of her body after he came home and found that she had committed suicide by stabbing herself.
Her body was found after her family filed a missing person’s report with police in April 2017.
Ms Mokoena’s family welcomed Mantsoe’s conviction.
Lolo Mokoena, Karabo’s mother walked out of the court room and sat down on a bench recalling the anxiety that she has faced over the past year.
“I’m shaking … It’s been tough. There’s no word to describe it. I’m happy about the outcome of the case,” she said.
Mantsoe now waits to learn his sentence. Murder carries a maximum life sentence in South Africa.
