MAN SENTENCED TO LIFE IMPRISONMENT FOR KILLING LIFE PARTNER
The High Court of South Africa Northern Cape Division, Upington Circuit, has sentenced Albertus Minnies (52), to life imprisonment for the murder and rape of his 43-year-old partner. The accused and the deceased were in a love relationship and had been staying together for at least 15 years, and they had 4 children. Their relationship was characterised by abuse of alcohol and physical abuse by the accused against the deceased.
In the early hours of 21 July 2018, the accused went to collect the deceased at a home of a man called Piet, whom he suspected the deceased was having an illicit relationship with. On the way home, the accused raped and assaulted the deceased severely, to the point where she couldn’t walk. Thereafter he dragged her on a rocky surface to his house. All this he did in front of their two-year-old toddler. The deceased was later found dead at the accused’s house, with multiple injuries all over her body. The injuries ranged from lacerations, bruises, and scratches. The cause of death was found to be strangulation.
In mitigation of the sentence, Senior State Adv.Ronewa Makhaga, argued that the court should not deviate from the prescribed sentence and that the court should send a clear message to perpetrators of Gender-Based Violence. The accused was sentenced to life imprisonment on each count by the High Court. During sentencing, the court stressed the scourge of GBV and the need for maximum penalties where appropriate. The accused application for leave to appeal was dismissed by the High Court.
