Who killed 'Skeem Saam' actress Amanda Manku's mother and grandmother?: Read here

• The Polokwane High Court delivered a guilty verdict against Amanda Manku's father on multiple charges
• The Skeem Saam actress took the stand as a state witness and revealed that her father confessed his role in the murders to her after his arrest
• William Manku, a former police captain, faces sentencing after being convicted on two counts of murder and several related charges

The father of Skeem Saam actress Amanda Manku has been found guilty of a cold-blooded double murder, with the Polokwane High Court in Limpopo delivering its verdict on Monday, 26 October 2026. William Manku, a former police captain, was convicted on a list of charges that included two counts of murder, conspiracy to commit murder, attempted murder, robbery with aggravated circumstances, and defeating the course of justice.

The case traces back to 2021, when Amanda's mother, Gladys Manku (45), and her grandmother, Lettie Maphothoma (75), were shot and killed while collecting water from a communal tap in Makgophong Village, Zebediela, Limpopo.

Amanda's uncle survived the attack but was wounded in the shooting. Prosecutors successfully argued that William orchestrated the killings as premeditated hits, driven by marital tension rooted in an extramarital affair that Gladys had uncovered through his phone records.

Amanda Manku testifies against her own father

What made this trial particularly painful to follow was that Amanda herself was called as a state witness. She took the stand to provide a firsthand account of her family's collapse, describing how her mother had discovered the infidelity and the severe deterioration of her parents' marriage in the lead-up to the murders.

Most critically, Amanda told the court that her father had confessed his involvement in ordering the hits directly to her after he was arrested in 2024. During cross-examination, William attempted to walk back that confession, claiming it had been made under duress. The court rejected that argument outright.

William's co-accused, David Khoza, was not convicted alongside him. Khoza was acquitted and released in September 2026 after the judge found insufficient grounds for a guilty finding against him.

Inside the Polokwane High Court on the day of the verdict, members of the Manku family were visibly shattered as the judgment was read. With the conviction now formally on record, the court will move into the sentencing phase to determine the punishment William Manku will face.

Alleged payments for AKA murder revealed

In an earlier report, Briefly News shared online reactions to the alleged payment breakdown behind AKA's murder.

It was revealed that the mastermind forked out millions for the hit, while the men who carried it out reportedly walked away with far less, sparking a heated debate on social media.

Source: Briefly News