The four convicted murderers of the Van der Merwe family, two of whom were also convicted of rape, will each serve 25 years in prison, the Circuit High Court in Secunda, Mpumalanga ruled on Tuesday.
Vincent Mokhosonke Khubeka, a former employee of the Van der Merwe family, Themba Luke Radebe, Lucky Peter Mbalati and Clement Bay-Bay Makua, were all sentenced to four life terms — 240 years’ imprisonment — but the sentences would run concurrently.
Radebe and Mbalati were also sentenced to 15 years for raping Gina van der Merwe senior and her daughter-in-law, Melissa van der Merwe.
These two women, together with Gina’s husband Frans van der Merwe, and their son Daryl, were found shot dead near the Loskop Dam in Mpumalanga on February 9. The family came from Benoni.
Khubeka’s father worked for the family business and they had known him since childhood. He was also employed at the family’s engineering business as a supervisor.
On Monday, Judge Nico Coetzee had found the four guilty of murder, attempted murder, robbery with aggravated circumstances, kidnapping and theft.
All four were also convicted on two charges under the Arms and Ammunition Act.
Khubeka had pleaded guilty to the robbery and theft charges, but denied the other charges. The others pleaded not guilty.
In his judgement, Coetzee said Khubeka realised he would have to kill the Van der Merwes because they knew him well and would be able to identify him after the robbery.
On the night they were murdered, Khubeka served the family coffee that contained ”muti”. It was later identified as some sort of poison.
Coetzee said Khubeka must have been aware that the concoction would have killed the Van der Merwes.
Coetzee said there was evidence that all four suffered severe stomach cramps as well as uncontrolled diarrhoea and vomiting and on grounds of that, he convicted him of attempted murder.
Coetzee rejected Radebe’s defence that he had been forced to take part in the crimes.
He said at the age of 44, Radebe was much older than the other three and there was a strong possibility he led the attack on the family. – Sapa