Willem Olivier and Kelvin Vlok. (Photo: NPA)
Eighteen months after two men were arrested for murdering their elderly employer while trying to tamper with her laptop, they were sentenced in the High Court in Mpumalanga to 25 years’ direct imprisonment.
Andile Sibusiso Shongwe (26) and Muzi Mandoza Jele (29) worked as general workers for 74-year-old Magdalene Johanna Coetzee in Carolina.
Monica Nyuswa, spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) says they welcome these sentences for charges of murder and robbery with aggravating circumstances.
The accused murdered Coetzee on 13 October 2024 in her house in Hugo Street in the town. Nyuswa says Shongwe and Jele ransacked the house, before fleeing with Coetzee’s mobile phone and other belongings.
Neighbors went to Coetzee’s house to investigate after she had not been seen for several days. Coetzee’s body was found in the house.
The accused were arrested a few days later when they wanted to sell their victim’s laptop and could not give a sensible explanation for its origin. This led to their arrest.
Both men pleaded not guilty during the trial. “During the trial, Advocate Mandlenkosi Ntaba, assisted by Advocate Natali Msibi, presented evidence from several witnesses, including those of the neighbors who discovered the body, the individual who bought the laptop and the investigating officer.
“The court found the state witnesses to be credible and reliable. A post-mortem report confirmed the cause of death was suffocation.”
The state argued in aggravation of the sentence that the accused had breached a position of trust because he had worked for Coetzee for about seven years.
The state also argued that the defendants have shown no remorse and show poor prospects for rehabilitation. A victim impact statement, prepared on behalf of the deceased’s family, showed the profound emotional and social impact of her death on her family as well as the Carolina community.
The court, after considering all the evidence, sentenced the men to 25 years imprisonment for murder and 15 years for aggravated robbery.
The court ordered that the sentences be served concurrently, meaning they will be in prison for 25 years. Nyuswa says the men have been declared incompetent to own firearms. Their application for leave to appeal the sentence was dismissed.