Limpopo court hands life sentence to Aubrey Manaka for Precious Ramabulana murder

The 21-year-old student at Capricorn TVET College died after being stabbed dozens of times in her rented room.

Her lifeless body was found at the institution's Ramokgopa campus on 24 November 2019.

Manaka was subsequently arrested at his parental home in Botlokwa.

The 29-year-old was sentenced at the Limpopo High Court in Polokwane on Friday after entered a guilty plea on all the charges earlier in the week.

He was charged on four counts of murder, rape and robbery.

"The accused has attacked, raped, killed and robbed a young vulnerable person in the peaceful and tranquillity of her room," said Judge Francis Kganyago.

"Even though the future cannot be predicted, with the family background of the deceased as testified by Mavis, her family expected her that when she completed her studies, she would be able to take them out of their poverty, hence the mother of the deceased is not coping even up to date."

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Kganyago found the aggravating factors far outweigh the mitigating factors.

"The accused in the manner in which he has committed these offences did not show any respect to the deceased," the judge added.

Kganyago added the sentence should act as a deterrent for other perpetrators.

"The sentences which will be meted to the accused will fit the crimes he has committed.

"The accused is sentenced as follows - count one you are sentenced to eight years imprisonment, count two you are sentenced to life imprisonment, count three you are sentenced to life imprisonment, count four you are sentenced to 15 years imprisonment. Count one, three and four to run concurrently with count two."

Manaka was also accused of raping a 5-year-old girl in 2014 but the case was later withdrawn due to a lack of evidence.