Siphokazi Booi's killer finally sentenced

WARNING: THE FOLLOWING STORY CONTAINS GRAPHIC DETAILS

After a three year emotional rollercoaster, 21-year-old Siphokazi Booi's family can finally get some closure.

SUPPLIED: Pictured: Siphokazi Booi

Her killer, Sithobele ‘Rasta’ Qeba has been found guilty on five charges - murder, defeating the administration of justice, assault with the intent to do grievous bodily harm, desecrating a corpse and failure to comply with conditions of release on warning, and has been sentenced to life imprisonment.

Qebe was out on bail at the time of the murder after being charged with assault for beating Siphokazi to the point that she had to be admitted to hospital in August 2021. Despite bail conditions forbidding Qebe to contact Booi, according to his own admission, he mercilessly assaulted Siphokazi again in the early hours of 5 September 2021. He admitted to kicking her multiple times. She vomited and according to Qebe he left her outside, where he found her unresponsive hours later.

Anti-Gender Based Voilence organisation, Ilatha Lebantu, welcomed the sentencing.

‘’This sentence marks a significant victory for justice, allowing the Booi family to finally find closure and mourn their loved one. Ilitha Labantu views this outcome as a crucial milestone in the pursuit of justice and healing for the family and the community,’’ said Siyabulela Monakali, Communications manager.

Lobby group, Action Society, described the sentencing as one of the ‘greatest victories’.

“Today marks one of Action Society’s greatest victories as we see the man who brutally murdered Siphokazi Booi sentenced to life imprisonment at the Paarl Regional court, and the halls of the court were jubilant with songs of victory. The murder case of Siphokazi Booi has been dragging on for three excruciatingly long years, but today justice finally prevailed,” said Action Society’s, Juanita du Preez.

‘’These past three years must have felt like torture for Siphokazi’s family and friends, especially her sister Nontando who has been a key element in this victorious day. For three years they had to see this monster in court, and listen numerous times to the awful things he did to her. But now it is over and the healing can begin. We wish to thank the prosecuting team for never giving up on the case and refusing to settle for a lesser sentence.’’

“Today was a very symbolic day. The Action Society team showed that with enough defiance and bravery, even the greatest of evils can be triumphed. There were times where we became frustrated, but our hope in victory and justice never dwindled and we carried the fire of hope with us everytime we stepped into court. We now hope and pray that Siphokazi’s family can heal and move on with their lives knowing that this evil monster will be behind bars for a very long time,” concluded du Preez.

 

Done By: Mitchum George