Central SA
EFF welcomes verdict against SABC presenter's ex-husband─── LUCKY NKUYANE 13:18 Fri, 03 Feb 2023
The EFF in the Free State has welcomed the Bloemfontein Regional Court's judgment which found the ex-husband of the SABC presenter guilty of attempted murder, among others.
On Thursday 2 January 2023, the Regional Court Magistrate Spiwo Mazwi found the former police officer, MacKenzie Ratselane, guilty of attempted murder and the possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition whilst the charge of kidnapping was dropped.
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The party’s Provincial Treasurer and Head of the EFF GBV desk, Seipati Nanyane, said Ratselane's is not an isolated case. Nanyane has slammed the government for what he terms as continuous rape and murder of women at the hands of their loved ones.
Nanyane said the government needs to ensure that the justice system functions and operates in a manner protecting victims instead of protecting perpetrators.
Magistrate Mazwi has since remanded Ratselane in jail and postponed the matter to 12 and 13 April for sentencing.
Mazwi shed light on how the former cop and estranged husband had the intention to murder the public broadcaster's Lesedi FM presenter, Folotsi, with the evidence furnished before the court by the state. He said the evidence was sufficient to prove that he was in possession of an unlicensed firearm.
Ratselane was arrested on 16 February 2021 at an informal settlement in Ennerdale, Gauteng, after he was on the run for six days following the brutal attack. Folotsi suffered stab wounds to her body, including her chest, face, and her tongue.
Ratselane stabbed Folotsi in February 2021 in Bloemfontein, where she was later found at the Caleb Motshabi informal settlement, lying in a pool of blood with multiple stab wounds. Ratselane and Folotsi allegedly quarrelled on their way to fetch their children in Phase 2.
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The accused previously told the court that he was willing to plead guilty to other charges except for the attempted murder of his ex-wife.
Ratselane previously abandoned bail during his second court appearance in February 2021 but made a sudden about-turn a few months later.
During his bail attempt, Ratselane told the court that he did not flee from the might of the law or tried to evade his arrest. He said he simply left for Gauteng to seek counsel from his elders to fix what he termed as marital issues with Folotsi.
