A 29-year-old man, identified as Jabulani Nkosi, has been handed a life sentence by the High Court sitting in Mpumalanga, South Africa, after being found guilty of the shocking and gruesome murder of his pregnant girlfriend, Boitsoko Khoza.
In addition to the life sentence for murder, Nkosi also received an extra five-year prison term for the crime of arson, after he set Khoza’s body on fire in a desperate attempt to destroy evidence and cover up his heinous act.
The tragic case reached its conclusion on Thursday, July 3, 2025, when the court delivered a damning judgment that detailed Nkosi's violent actions and ultimate betrayal of trust. The court heard how Khoza, who was ten weeks pregnant at the time of her death, was last seen alive on November 22, 2023. She had informed her colleagues that she would not be at work because she planned to travel to Mamelodi to visit her parents. However, she never made it to her family home, prompting immediate concern and a missing person report from her loved ones.
Just three days after her disappearance, emergency services were called to a fire at Khoza’s flat located in Evander. Upon extinguishing the blaze, firefighters made a horrifying discovery: Khoza’s badly charred body was found inside the apartment, indicating a deliberate effort to conceal the crime.
A subsequent post-mortem examination revealed the full extent of the brutality she had endured. Medical experts testified that Khoza had been severely beaten, stabbed multiple times, and was confirmed to be pregnant before her lifeless body was set alight.
Following a thorough police investigation, Nkosi was arrested after he confessed to the crime during a conversation with some of his friends. Further evidence presented in court included expert witness statements and proof that Nkosi sold Khoza’s mobile phone for R650 shortly after committing the murder, a move prosecutors described as a cold and calculated attempt to benefit from his crime.
The presiding judge strongly condemned Nkosi’s actions, describing them as vicious, premeditated, and showing a complete lack of remorse. The judge further highlighted the seriousness of gender-based violence and emphasized the particular cruelty of killing a woman who was expecting a child, stating that such acts must be met with the harshest penalties to serve as a deterrent to others.
As part of the sentencing, Nkosi was also declared unfit to own or possess a firearm, underscoring the court’s commitment to preventing future acts of violence from the convicted individual.
Nkosi will serve a life sentence in prison for the murder, while the five-year sentence for arson will run concurrently. The ruling has been widely welcomed by human rights advocates and communities across South Africa as an important stand against the escalating crisis of violence against women and children in the country.