Mmelesi gets suspended sentence for death of Yvonne Mokgoro
The Kimberley regional court gave David Gaolatlhe Mmelesi, 68, five years' imprisonment, wholly suspended for five years, for culpable homicide. Mokgoro, a retired Constitutional Court justice and his partner, died in May 2024 after a road collision.
The collision happened on 3 April 2023 between Warrenton and Kimberley. Mokgoro was a passenger and was seriously injured. She later died in a Johannesburg hospital.
The sentence stays suspended on one condition. Mmelesi must not be convicted of the same offence during the five years.
The state presented testimony from a truck driver. The witness said Mmelesi made a U-turn without indicating, and that his vehicle then stood on the side of the road without hazard lights.
The Mokgoro family asked for a direct custodial sentence. Ithateng Mokgoro, her eldest son, spoke for the family. The family said Mmelesi showed no genuine remorse. It also said it spent about R3 million on medical costs and more than R600,000 on legal costs.
Key facts
- Who
- David Gaolatlhe Mmelesi (motorist, accused, sentenced for culpable homicide); Yvonne Mokgoro (retired Constitutional Court justice, victim, Mmelesi's partner); Tebogo Benjamin Namisa (senior state prosecutor); Ithateng Mokgoro (eldest son of Yvonne Mokgoro, spoke on behalf of the family)
- What
- The Kimberley regional court sentenced Mmelesi, 68, for culpable homicide after a collision in April 2023 between Warrenton and Kimberley in which Mokgoro, a passenger, was seriously injured and later died in a Johannesburg hospital in May 2024. The sentence is suspended on condition he is not convicted of the same offence during the five-year period.
- When
- 6 November 2026
- Where
- Warrenton, Kimberley, Johannesburg
- Status
- Reported