‘I miss my mom and my dad’: daughter’s voice note played as Mogashoa killers face sentencing

A voice note from the young daughter of murdered police officers Sabeilewe and Lucky Mogashoa was played in court as the two men convicted of the couple’s murders prepare for sentencing. The recording, shared by the South African Police Service with the family’s permission, captures the child telling her grandmother she misses her parents and was feeling pain because she was about to cry.

The recording and what it reveals

In the short clip the child who was one year old when her parents were killed in March 2022 tells her grandmother she is sad after drinking hot chocolate. When asked why she is sad, the child replies:

“Because I’m thinking about my mom and my dad.”

The grandmother reassures her and says the police have arrested those responsible. The recording includes the grandmother telling the child:

“I haven’t shared the good news with you. How the police arrested those people that killed them and locked them in jail. They are locked in jail right now.”

The child asks who killed her parents and later says of the man named by the grandmother:

“So I wish he can go and die and be in hell because he killed mom and my dad.”

Case status and background

Nkuna and former police officer Jacob Mothibe Chego are expected to appear at the Pretoria High Court for sentencing following their convictions for the murders of the Mogashoa couple. The couple were killed in March 2022 near the Etwatwa off-ramp along the N12 in Ekurhuleni, in front of their two young children. The mother, Sabeilewe, was heavily pregnant when she was killed.

The South African Police Service said the family gave permission for the recording to be shared and said the voice note highlighted the human cost of violent crime. SAPS spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said the recording was a painful reminder of why police work mattered and why the pursuit of justice must continue.

“Behind every investigation is a family waiting for answers. Behind every arrest is a victim whose life was taken and loved ones whose lives were forever changed.”

Accused and related matters

The article notes that convicted serial killer Rassie Nkuna is already serving two life sentences for other murders, and that he is expected to stand trial next year for an additional murder. Authorities suspect Nkuna may have used social media to lure victims.

Aftermath for the children

The voice note also captures the grandmother comforting the child and telling her that the judge had found the accused guilty and that God would help heal her pain. The child says she will try not to cry and that her stomachache stopped after hearing the news. In the recording the child explains why her stomach was aching:

“Because my aching tummy was because I miss Sabi and Lucky so much and I was about to cry.”

The police shared the recording on Wednesday morning with the family’s permission and described it as a reminder of the human toll behind investigations and arrests.