Johannes Tau Phala, was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment by the Bethal Magistrate’s Court for murder after being found guilty of his brother’s murder. The court heard how Johannes stabbed his brother, Joseph Phala, multiple times during a family gathering at a farmhouse in Vaalbank outside Bethal. The incident occurred in the early hours of Saturday, 28 August 2021 at about 03:00 am.
According to court documents, the two had an argument which resulted in a physical altercation leading to Joseph’s death at the hand of own brother. The accused was arrested shortly after the incident at his hiding place in Embalenhle outside Secunda on Sunday, 29 August 2021. Phala was further declared unfit to possess a firearm on Tuesday, 04 July 2023.
The Provincial Commissioner of the SAPS in Mpumalanga, Lieutenant General Semakaleng Manamela has raised her concerns about domestic-related violence whereby members of the same family turn against each other.
