A Pretoria High Court judge condemned the involvement of Onthatile Sebati, 24, in the 2016 murder of her parents, pregnant sister, and young brother as a profound betrayal. Onthatile, who was 15 at the time of the crime, was sentenced to 25 years in prison, while her cousins Tumelo and Kagiso Mokone received life sentences.
The killings took place in Mmakau, North West, where Onthatile’s father, police constable Solomon Sebati, her mother Mmatshepo, her 19-year-old pregnant sister Tshegofatso, and her three-year-old brother Quinton were shot dead. Onthatile orchestrated the murders, providing her cousins with access to her home and her father’s service firearm. Kagiso shot the family while Tumelo acted as the getaway driver. They were later paid R100,000 from an insurance payout.
Onthatile confessed to the crime five years later, leading to their arrests. They were charged with multiple counts of murder, robbery, and firearm possession. The court declared the trio unfit to possess firearms and gave them two weeks to appeal their sentences. Family members, deeply affected by the betrayal, continue to suffer emotionally. Onthatile’s aunt called the sentencing “justice served” but expressed hope for her rehabilitation.
