Mmelesi found guilty of culpable homicide in Justice Mokgoro’s death – SABC News – Breaking news, special reports, world, business, sport coverage of all South African current events. Africa’s news leader.
David Mmelesi, the partner of the late retired Constitutional Court Justice, Yvonne Mokgoro, has been found guilty of culpable homicide in connection with her death.
Justice Mokgoro died in May 2024, after she succumbed to injuries she sustained in a car crash in April 2023.
Mmelesi is said to have been the driver when the couple was involved in a crash between Warrenton and Kimberley. Mmelesi and Mokgoro had been partners for 14 years.
Last year during trial proceedings, one of the witnesses who took the stand was the truck driver involved in the incident. He testified that the driver of retired Justice Yvonne Mokgoro’s car was parked on the side of the road without turning on the hazard lights and then failed to indicate before making a U-turn.
The U-turn resulted in a collision that left Mokgoro with serious injuries.
Two years after Mokgoro died, her family says they are relieved that the case has reached the verdict and are looking forward to closure.
“Moving forward, for the family, firstly for us is to secure the little things like being able to step into our house for the first time legally, but secondly, I think finding closure, stepping into that house, collecting her clothes, her shoes, paintings, jewellery, the things that she held dearly to her heart. Just being able to collect them and put them together, and thirdly, I think the necessary Setswana cultural rituals need to happen to enable the family to find the closure, like simple things, washing her clothes and distributing them.” says Ithateng Mokgoro, Judge Mokgoro’s son.
Work is now underway to celebrate and honour the legacy Mokgoro has left in the Judiciary system through the Yvonne Mokgoro Foundation.
“The work she has done, her contribution to judicial prudence and South Africa as a pioneering woman in the legal field. Currently, we are already busy with two major projects. The first one is to honour her legacy through art. People don’t know this, but she and Judge Justice Albi Sachs were primarily responsible for setting up the very significant collection at the, but we want to use art to celebrate her.” Ithateng Mokgoro added.
Mmelesi is still out on bail, and sentencing will take place on the 3rd of November. – Reporting by Karabo Siyoko.