| 2025/02/14 |
|
Media Statement
NELSPRUIT – The Acting Provincial Commissioner of the SAPS in Mpumalanga Major General (Dr.) Zeph Mkhwanazi has welcomed the hefty sentencing of a murderer. Jacques Jacobus Alwyn Botha (33) was sentenced on 13 February 2025 by the Mpumalanga Division of the High Court which was seating in Breyten near Ermelo The sentence is in relation to an incident whereby Zodwa Angelina Sibiya (39), who was unknown at the time, was brutally murdered at a certain farm in Vogelspruitspoort near Belfast, on 18 October 2024. The court heard that on 18 October 2024, around 19h30, he picked up a sex worker from the street in Belfast and took her to where he resided in Vogelspruitspoort farm in Belfast. Both started drinking some alcoholic beverages and thereafter, became intimate. After a while, they went to a living room and had more drinks. The lady is said to have been intoxicated to a point that she started to make some noise inside the house, which irritated the accused who then tried to stop her several times but with no success. The accused is said to have grabbed the lady to one of the bedrooms whilst he continued with some efforts to silence her as she was uncontrollably making noise. He also tried to put her to sleep but the lady continued to make noise even more. It was during this time when the man strangled the lady with his bare hands as well as her underwear until she passed out. After realizing that she was dead, he wrapped her body with a carpet, then dumped her inside a hole and concealed the scene with some stones. It was at this point when he was consumed by guilt and realized that his actions were uncalled for. He then went and handed himself to the Police in Belfast and related the story of what he did. The woman’s body was then retrieved by the Police and she was later identified. Information also surfaced that she was from Emthonjeni (Watervalboven).
Botha was taken to court and got convicted hence his sentencing: The court ordered that the Five years’ imprisonment on count 2, will run concurrently with the sentencing on count 1. The accused was further declared unfit to carry a firearm. The accused person will spend effective 20 years behind bars.
The Acting Provincial Commissioner of the SAPS in Mpumalanga, Major General (Dr.) Zeph Mkhwanazi further commended the Detective team, the Prosecution team as well as the Judiciary for their collaboration which led to the conviction and harsh sentence for accused. “We are encouraged by the sentence handed down to the perpetrator.We hope that the sentence will serve as a deterrence to others who might consider emulating the actions of the accused person,” said the General.
Enquiries:
|
|
|
