By Mapaballo Borotho

- Convicted serial killer Rassie Hlabirwa Nkuna and former police officer Mothibe Chego are appearing before the Pretoria High Court for sentencing following their conviction for the murders of Lucky and Sabeliwe Mogashoa.
- The couple were killed in March 2022 in the presence of their two young children, with Sabeliwe heavily pregnant at the time.
- Police have shared an emotional voice note from their daughter, who was only one year old when she witnessed her parents being killed.
Convicted serial killer Rassie Hlanirwa Nkuna and former police officer Mothibe Chego are appearing before the Pretoria High Court on Wednesday, 2 September 2026, for sentencing following their conviction for the murders of Lucky and Sabeliwe Mogashoa.
The couple was brutally murdered in March 2022 near the Etwatwa off-ramp along the N12 in Ekurhuleni, in the presence of their two young children.
Sabeliwe Mogashoa was heavily pregnant at the time of her death.
Nkuna is already serving two life sentences for the murders of his then-girlfriend, Pretty Mazibuko, and her sister, Marcia Mazibuko, in Mpumalanga.
He is also expected to stand trial in 2027 for the murder of Hilary Gardee.
As Nkuna and Chego face sentencing for the Mogashoa couple’s murders, the South African Police Service (SAPS) has shared an emotional voice note from the couple’s daughter, who was just one year old when she witnessed her parents being killed.
The voice note was shared with the permission of the late couple’s family.
In the recording, the child can be heard speaking about how much she misses her parents, while her grandmother gently explains that police worked tirelessly to find the “bad man” responsible for taking them away.
That “bad man” is Nkuna, who has since been brought before the courts and is being sentenced for the killings.
National police spokesperson Athlenda Mathe says the voice note serves as a painful reminder of the impact of violent crime on families and why the pursuit of justice is important.
“Behind every investigation is a family waiting for answers. Behind every arrest is a victim whose life was taken and loved ones whose lives were forever changed,” said Mathe.
Mathe says the voice note is a painful reminder of why police work matters and why the pursuit of justice must never stop.
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