The Provincial Commissioner of Police in Limpopo, Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe, has welcomed the sentencing of Madimetja Calvin Kekana (33) from Ga-Rakgoatha village in the Magatle policing area, Capricorn District. On Monday, 02 June 2025, Kekana was handed a life imprisonment term plus five years for the brutal murder of 67-year-old Letta Makhamba Kekana.
Details of the Crime
The horrific incident occurred in the early hours of Friday, 14 October 2018, when Kekana broke into the victim’s homestead while she was asleep with her two minor grandchildren. In a calculated act of violence, he assaulted and hacked the elderly woman to death with a spade. The attack was reportedly motivated by rage over the victim having opened a criminal case against him.
Previous Criminal Case
The deceased had previously been a complainant in a February 2016 house robbery case, where Kekana had broken into her home while she slept, gained entry through bedroom windows, and stolen money. He was identified through fingerprint evidence and the victim’s testimony, leading to his arrest. However, after being released on bail, he committed the murder just one day after the victim testified against him in court.
Gruesome Aftermath
After the assault, Kekana strangled the victim and removed her body from the house, wrapping it in a blanket. The two grandchildren, who had hidden during the attack as instructed by their grandmother, fled to neighbours for help. A search ensued, and the victim’s body was later discovered stuffed inside a water drum. Police were alerted, and Kekana was swiftly arrested.
Legal Proceedings
The case was provisionally withdrawn in October 2018 pending DNA results. Kekana later completed a three-year sentence for the earlier robbery conviction. However, through the relentless efforts of investigating officer Sergeant Kgaogelo Lazarus Mamogobo, an indictment was secured to reinstate the murder case, leading to Kekana’s re-arrest.
Sentencing
The court delivered the following sentences:
-
Housebreaking with intent to commit murder: Five years imprisonment
-
Murder: Life imprisonment (direct imprisonment)