Central SA
Ex-husband of SABC presenter goes to jail - VIDEO─── LUCKY NKUYANE 14:00 Wed, 19 Apr 2023
A Bloemfontein Magistrate has sentenced the former police officer and ex-husband of Lesedi FM presenter, Dimakatso Folotsi, to an effective seven-year jail term.
Magistrate Spiwo Mazwi gave Mackenzie Ratselane nine years for gender-based violence (GBV), three years for the possession of an unlicensed firearm, and two years for the illegal possession of ammunition. He suspended the two-year sentence for ammunition and reduced the sentence to seven years.
Mazwi said Ratselane was found guilty on serious charges, among others GBV, which was described as a pandemic by President Cyril Ramaphosa.
Mazwi said aggravating factors include that Ratselane was not sorry but only regretted the fact that he was caught.
He said the imposed sentence should meet the said crime against his ex-wife. The state had appealed to Mazwi to give Ratselane a 12-year imprisonment sentence.
Meanwhile, a confident Ratselane did not seem deterred by the sentencing. His legal representative, Advocate Themba Diba, indicated to the Magistrate that he would be appealing his sentence.
Mackenzie was arrested for the brutal stabbing of his ex-wife in 2021.
Ratselane’s sentencing follows the presentation of mitigating and aggravating circumstances by State Prosecutor Sello Matlhoko and his legal representative last week.
In February 2023, Mazwi found Ratselane guilty of attempted murder and the possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition.
He 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 on Folotsi.
Folotsi suffered several stab wounds on her chest, face, and tongue.
She was later found by residents at the Caleb Motshabi informal settlement, lying in a pool of blood. Ratselane and Folotsi allegedly argued on their way to fetch their children in Phase 2.
Ratselane has been detained since his arrest in 2021. He previously told the court that he was willing to plead guilty to other charges except for attempted murder.
During his bail attempt, Ratselane told the court he did not flee or tried to evade arrest. He said he simply left for Gauteng to seek counsel from his elders to fix what he termed as “marital issues” with his wife.
