The Free State High Court in Sasolburg has sentenced 27-year-old Jonas Mokoena to 30 years’ imprisonment for the murders of his 41-year-old girlfriend, Mpho Dhlamini, and their one-year-old son, Omphile Innocent Mokoena.
The victims’ bodies were discovered on 16 January 2025 in Qalabotjha, Villiers, after residents reported a foul smell coming from their shack in an informal settlement. Police located a shallow grave on the property, where they found the infant’s body inside a sports bag placed on top of his mother’s body.
Prior to the discovery, Mokoena had reportedly informed their landlord that Dhlamini and the child were in Balfour. He was also allegedly seen earlier at the shack. Following the grim discovery, Mokoena fled the area and went into hiding.
The case was assigned to Detective Sergeant Ivy Maisa of the Provincial Serious and Violent Crimes Investigation Murder and Robbery Unit. Through a thorough evidence-gathering process, Sergeant Maisa facilitated the identification and location of the suspect.
On the same day the bodies were found, members of the Villiers South African Police Service (SAPS) arrested Mokoena at a hiking spot en route to Balfour. He was subsequently charged with two counts of murder.
Jonas Mokoena was convicted and ultimately sentenced on 05 February 2026.