A teenager was sentenced to four years for stabbing a police officer to death. Photo by Misheck Makora
TEEN sentenced for killing young cop.
A 17-year-old boy has been sentenced to four years in jail for stabbing and killing a young cop in Beaufort West, in the Western Cape .
His co-accused, Siyamthanda Mafata (22), escaped direct jail time after entering a plea bargain with the state.
He was sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment, wholly suspended for three years.
The duo sentenced at the Beaufort West Magistrates Court on Monday, 18 May 2026.
The case relates to the murder of Constable Courtlin Lackay (23).
The young cop was murdered on 24 August 2025 while responding to an incident at a place of entertainment in Gaba Road, Kwa-Mandlenkosi.
Hawks detail the attack
Hawks spokeswoman Warrant Officer Zinzi Hani said cops were called to the scene and made a grim discovery.
“Members responded to an incident at a place of entertainment at Gaba Road, Kwa-Mandlenkosi in Beaufort West where, upon arrival, they found the body of the deceased officer with a stab wound on his back,” she said.
The suspects fled on foot after the attack.
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“Constable Lackay was declared dead oat the scene,” said Hani.
The case was handed to the Hawks’ Serious Organised Crime Investigation team in George.
An intelligence-driven operation led to the arrest of both accused on the same day.
Sentences handed down
Hani said the teenager had been kept at a safe house since his arrest, while Mafata remained in custody.
She confirmed the sentences handed down by the court.
The teenager was sentenced to four years compulsory residence at a youth centre.
He was also sentenced to four years direct imprisonment, which will be served immediately after completion of his compulsory residence sentence.
Mafata was found guilty of defeating the administration of justice.
He received 12 months direct imprisonment, which is wholly suspended for a period of three years on condition that the accused is not convicted of the offence.
Community still mourning
The killing of Constable Lackay shocked Beaufort West and left the local policing community mourning the loss of one of their own.
The sentencing brings some closure to his family, friends and fellow cops nearly a year after his brutal murder.
The Hawks welcomed the outcome, saying it sends a strong message that attacks on law enforcement officers will not go unpunished.