Girlfriend killer Hlabangwane to wait another month before knowing his fate

The sentencing proceedings of convicted murderer Flavio Hlabangwane have been postponed to March in order to allow for the probation officers more time to prepare their reports.

On Friday, in the high court sitting at the Palm Ridge magistrate’s court, state prosecutor Adv Johan Badenhorst said the probation officers needed more time to interview Hlabangwane, his family and the victim's family.

''We have spoken with the probation officers and they have already started the work of preparing the reports. They said they need around six weeks for the reports to be ready,’’ said Badenhorst.

Hlabangwane’s lawyer Adv Tsakane Ndlovu did not oppose the request by the state.

Judge Cassim Moosa postponed the matter to March 22.

The state is expected to call one witness to testify during the pre-sentencing proceedings, while the defence is also expected to call one witness as well in mitigation of Hlabangwane’s sentence.

Moosa said if all witnesses testify on March 22, he will be able to hand down the sentence on March 24. 

Earlier, Hlabangwane appeared in an almost empty court room, and was looking upright and following the proceedings closely.

Last month, Hlabangwane was found guilty of premeditated murder, defeating the ends of justice and violating a corpse.

Hlabangwane was arrested in November 2021 after body parts of his ex-girlfriend Tshepang Pitse were discovered inside his fridge at his home in Soweto. The discovery was made by his new girlfriend, who alerted neighbours and the police.

He pleaded guilty to planning and killing Pitse and thereafter dismembering her body parts before storing them inside the fridge.

kokam@sowetan.co.za