The man accused of murdering Siphokazi Booi, will finally go to trial, nearly two years after she was killed and dumped at a dump site in Paarl.
Sithobele Qebe
appeared in the Paarl Regional Court, on Thursday, where he pleaded guilty to murder,
defeating the ends of justice, assault with the intent to cause grievous bodily
harm, the desecration of a corpse and failure to comply with bail conditions.
Qebe was first
charged for assaulting Booi in August 2021 and was released on bail. He allegedly
assaulted her again in September, so severely that she died.
The State
alleges that he put her body in a bin and pushed her to a dump site.
The
prosecution on Thursday did not accept Qebe’s plea on the murder charge, and said
it will pursue a life sentence during the trial which was set for 13, 14 and 17
May 2024.
Lobby group,
Action Society welcomed the decision to head to trial.
“He has a
clear history of violence. He ignored a protection order, his violence
escalated to murder and then even further when he desecrated and disposed of
her body. He treated her in death like he treated her in life – as rubbish. It
is time to expose him for the monster he is. Justice will not be served until
somebody throws away the key after his sentence,’’ said Action Society’s
Kaylynn Palm.
‘’For
Siphokazi’s family, it was very understandably a very emotional day. They have
been waiting for more than two years for Siphokazi’s case to be heard.
Listening to the detailed description of his version of the events, was
sickening. It is going to get even worse before justice will be served. We will
continue to support them,’’ she added.
Done by:
Mitchum George
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