Flavio Hlabangwane, the man who killed Tshepang Pitse, his cousin who was also his lover ,penned a letter to her, claiming that given a chance, he would love her a thousand times more. An emotional Hlabangwane struggled to hold back his tears as he listened to Pitse's father giving his testimony. He sat in shame and kept glancing at the witness stand. He appeared at the Palm Ridge High Court for his sentencing proceedings. Hlabangwane killed Pitse in October 2021, dismembered her body and put the body parts in his deep freezer. 

APOLOGISING FOR KILLING HER 

Hlabangwane wrote a letter to Tshepang and her family apologising for his actions, saying he will live to regret his actions forever. A probation officer Andile Buthelezi who was on the witness stand, read out to the court Hlabangwane's letter of apology. "I apologise for only having an apology to offer. I hope this apology will bring solace. Please bear with me as I ask for forgiveness. I know I cannot reverse my actions. I'm deeply sorry from the bottom of my heart and regret it daily. I loved Tshepang  and know that by taking her life, I ended mine. My heart is governed by regret and remorse. To you Tshepang my love. I am glad to have loved you, I know true love through you and would love you a thousand times over." the letter read. Buthelezi told the court that he believed Hlabangwane was remorseful and claimed his actions were aided by drug abuse. 

A DRUGGIE 

Hlabangwane told the probation officer that he started to experiment with drugs when he was still in university. "He said he first experimented with cocaine in 2017, at a party they were attending with Pitse. He tried it for the second time and after that, he was hooked and smoked almost every day,' Buthelezi said adding that Hlabangwane told him the drug made him sociable, hyper and sexually active. The convicted murderer later started using crystal meth which, he says, made him delusional, out of touch with reality and aggressive. Hlabangwane claims he committed the murder while intoxicated.  

VICTIM'S FATHER STILL PUZZLED 

Pitse's father took to the witness stand and denied claims made by Hlabangwane that he knew about their affair. "I only knew him as Tshepang's cousin, and I met him in 2010. I know nothing about their sexual relationship. My child never drank alcohol since birth and the three months she spent with me before her death, she never displayed any signs of drug use,' the father said. He said he wishes that Hlabangwane gets a life sentence. The state maintains that Hlabangwane was not remorseful and only wrote the letter because he could see that dooms day was near. "He planned the murder for two months and after the killing, took his time dismembering her body in pieces and put them inside his kitchen freezer. Instead of being grief stricken, he continued to invite women over while Pitse lay in the cold. He must get a life sentence for murder and additional years for defeating the ends of justice and contravening a corpse," State Prosecutor Advocate Johan Badenhorst said. The matter will be back in court for judgment on the 16th of May.