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A mother and daughter have been imprisoned for their involvement in a murder.
- A mother and daughter have been imprisoned for their role in the murder of an electrician in Gqeberha.
- The women helped their family member and a friend kill the man and sell his equipment.
- The body was found dumped in a crowded area after being stored in a freezer.
A mother and daughter have been imprisoned for their role in the brutal murder of an electrician in Gqeberha almost three years ago.
Petrus Hendrik Scholtz was beaten unconscious and placed in a freezer in July 2018.
On Wednesday, the Eastern Cape Superior Court in Gqeberha sentenced Christine Helena Russouw, 58, and Chantell Russouw, 38, to 15 and 20 years in prison respectively for the murder of their family electrician.
READ | Woman accused of murder of two girls appears in court
Christine and her children, Chantell and Wayne, 34, were living together in Kabega Park at the time of the murder, said Anelisa Ngcakani, a spokeswoman for the Eastern Cape National Prosecution Authority.
“In early July 2018, Wayne started looking for someone to help him murder his family’s electrician because he wanted his tools. On the night of July 16, 2018, Wayne went looking for Ronald Swartz (27) in Central and it led him to Wayne and Swartz had been known for six years, and when they were at the house, Wayne explained his plan to Swartz, “Ngcakani said.
Christine Russouw called Scholtz and asked him to fix her geyser. Scholtz arrived, fixed the geyser, and left. The next day, Swartz, Wayne, Christine, and Chantell planned the assassination and Wayne promised to pay Swartz R10,000 for his part in the assassination.
Threw the body
Wayne then called Scholtz to collect his payment for the work he had done the day before. Scholtz arrived shortly after 20:00. Swartz grabbed him from behind while Wayne hit him over the head with a cane until he lost consciousness.
“Wayne tied up Scholtz and along with Swartz they placed him in the chest freezer. Christine cleaned the kitchen floor, which was covered in blood. Wayne and his sister, Chantell, went to a fast food outlet to buy food with money that Wayne had stolen from Scholtz’s wallet. The next day, July 18, 2018, the brothers drove Scholtz’s Isuzu bakkie to Cash Crusaders, where they sold the deceased’s electrical equipment, “Ngcakani said.
During the night, Wayne and Swartz removed Scholtz’s body from the freezer and loaded it into the stolen bakkie. They, along with Chantell, drove into a wooded area and dumped the body.
The body was discovered the next day by a pedestrian, who alerted police, Ngcakani said.
“Wayne and Christine sold the bakkie for R10,000. On July 20, 2018, Wayne sold the chest freezer along with other items that belonged to Scholtz. Wayne, Christine and Chantell were arrested at their home on the night of July 20, 2018 The police found several items in the house that belonged to Scholtz. Swartz was arrested six days later, “Ngcakani said.
In December, Wayne was sentenced to life in prison, while Swartz was sentenced to 25 years.
Judge Elna Revelas said that Christine and Chantell lied throughout the trial and, as it progressed, the lies became more ridiculous. He added that the two did not show any remorse for what they had done.
“She took into consideration that they were first-time criminals and sentenced Chantell to 20 years for murder and 15 years for aggravated robbery. She sentenced Christine to 15 years for murder and 15 years for aggravated robbery,” Ngcakani said.
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