The Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg has sentenced a 47-year-old man to two terms of life imprisonment for the murder of his 41-year-old partner and his five-year-old son.
The court further sentenced the man to 10 years for the attempted murder of his 14-year-old step-son and an additional five years for arson.
Arson attack on partner and children
National Prosecuting Authority regional spokesperson Phindi Mjonondwane said on 26 August 2022, the man attacked his partner during a domestic violence incident in Protea, Soweto.
He then set a bedroom she was in alight, Mjonondwane said in a statement Friday.
The teenager witnessed the attack and tried to rescue his mother and brother.
However, the man prevented him from doing so, locked the house and fled the scene.
The two children later managed to escape, but the woman died from burn injuries at the scene.
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Sadly, the younger boy later died in hospital due to his injuries.
Surviving child’s trauma
“The surviving child, now 17 years old, testified before the court that he continues to suffer seizures as a result of the incident,” the Mjonondwane said.
“He told the court that the events of that day remain deeply traumatic, particularly witnessing the death of his mother.”
Court and NPA condemn attack
During the trial, state advocate Nkosinathi Zuma submitted that the lives lost could never be restored and that the family had been irreversibly affected by the tragedy.
Mjonondwane said in sentencing, the court described the offences as extremely serious and deserving of the harshest punishment.
“The NPA reiterates that human life is sacred and affirms its commitment to vigorously prosecuting cases of domestic violence,” Mjonondwane said.
“Such crimes will be met with the full might of the law to ensure justice for victims and to serve as a deterrent to would-be offenders.”
