Pholoso Lekana and Tshepo Ramatiti
Introduction
Pholoso Lekana, 39, and Tshepo Ramatiti, 42, two men from South Africa’s North West province, have each been sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of 25-year-old Orapeleng Sebogodi, whom they kidnapped, tied to a tree and tortured with knives, a car jack and a panga after deciding he was an intruder on Lekana’s property . The Lehurutshe Regional Court sentenced both men on Friday 13 November 2026 — life for the murder and a further five years for the kidnapping, the terms to run concurrently . The court found the pair took the law into their own hands without justification: there was no evidence Sebogodi had stolen anything .
Background Information
The killing traces to 25 November 2023, when Lekana heard noises outside his home, went to investigate, and found Sebogodi — a man known to him — in his yard . Lekana called 37-year-old Oageng Mereyohle to help him capture the visitor; Sebogodi fled the property, allegedly spraying his pursuers with pepper spray, and Lekana and Mereyohle went to a nearby tavern to fetch Ramatiti and Lekana’s girlfriend to help find him . The South African Police Service arrested all three men; Lekana and Ramatiti pleaded not guilty, while Mereyohle admitted participating in the assault .
The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation
Convicted of kidnapping and murdering a man they accused of being an intruder; life imprisonment.
The group found Sebogodi alongside a road, grabbed and assaulted him, and forced him into the boot of Lekana’s car; they drove him to Lekana’s home, tied him to a tree, and continued assaulting him — reportedly using knives, a car jack and a panga to inflict multiple wounds . Onlookers alerted the victim’s family, who arrived to find him covered in blood, severely weakened and unable to walk; he was rushed for medical attention but succumbed to his injuries . National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Lindiwe Mabasa said the State’s witnesses and evidence proved the charges and that the accused acted with intent, and quoted the court’s finding that no stolen property or other items suggesting theft were found in Sebogodi’s possession .
Public Reaction and Consequences
The Director of Public Prosecutions in North West, Dr Rachel Makhari, said the sentence sent a strong message to communities that violence and murder were intolerable — the NPA framing the case as a warning against mob-style “justice” against suspected intruders . The third accused, Mereyohle, awaits his own fate: the State obtained a separation of trials after learning he has a psychiatric disorder, and he will be sentenced at a later date . The life terms — imposed almost exactly three years after the killing — were reported as the outcome of a trial in which both convicted men had pleaded not guilty and contested the State’s case .
Current Status
Lekana and Ramatiti are serving concurrent life sentences for murder plus five years for kidnapping, imposed by the Lehurutshe Regional Court on 13 November 2026 . Mereyohle, who admitted his participation, remains awaiting a separated sentencing process that will first address his mental condition .
Impact on Their Career/Life
The convictions remove both men from society for life, with the court’s express finding that their victim was innocent of any theft standing as the judicial repudiation of the vigilante premise on which they tortured him .
Sources
- “Life behind bars for North West men who tortured ‘intruder’ to death” — IOL / Lebogang Mashego, 13 November 2026: source