Estcourt man gets life sentence for brutal murder of his former partner at taxi rank

An Estcourt man, who murdered his former partner at a taxi rank in the town in May, has been sentenced to life imprisonment by the Estcourt Regional Court.

The 36-year-old pleaded guilty to the murder of his ex-partner which took place in May at the Estcourt taxi rank.

National Prosecuting Authority provincial spokesperson Natasha Ramkisson-Kara said the accused and the 33-year-old deceased were in a domestic relationship and had three minor children together.

However, the deceased left the accused due to abuse in their relationship. On the day of the incident, the deceased had gone to Pietermaritzburg. During this time, the accused was unable to contact her on her cellphone.

“Upon her return to Estcourt, the deceased phoned the accused, and he told her to wait for him at the Estcourt taxi rank, which she did. When the accused reached the taxi rank, an argument ensued between him and the deceased about where she had gone.  The accused was armed with his licensed firearm which he used to shoot the deceased. He fired numerous shots, killing her on the scene.”

When community members confronted him he ran to the police station, which was close by, and surrendered himself to the police.

Ramkisson-Kara said that Prosecutor Abednego Mbewu led the evidence of the deceased’s sister, who testified that the incident had traumatised her entire family.

She said that images from the scene were circulated on social media, causing them further distress. The deceased’s uncle also testified that their family was devastated by the incident and must now share the responsibility of caring for the minor children.

In addition to the life sentence, the accused was deemed unfit to possess a firearm.

“The National Prosecuting Authority welcomes the successful finalisation of this matter as curbing the scourge of gender-based violence and femicide remains an organisational priority.”

THE MERCURY