Four torture-murderers of Afrikaner retired nurse Annette Muller-Botha 74 get 55yr prison sentences

Four torture-murderers of Annette Muller-Botha 74 of Witfield, Boksburg, get 55-year prison sentences each Johan Eybers - East Rand Beeld newspaper: Dec 18 2013: In September 2012, retired, widowed nurse Antoinette Muller-Botha, 74, was tortured to death by four black men in the home she had lived in for 50 years and raised her four daughters in. On November 28 2013, the four men were sentenced to 55 years in prison each by Gauteng High Court judge Dimpheletse Moshidi. Avhushoni Lerumo, on the charge of murder, was sentenced to life imprisonment; on the charge of house robbery, he was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment. *n Balelehile Mdidimba, on the charge of murder, was sentenced to life imprisonment; on the charge of house robbery, he was sentenced to 30 years imprisonment. * Rodney Baloyi, on the charge of murder, was sentenced to life imprisonment; on house robbery charge, he was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment. * Joao Mandlathi, on the charge of murder, was sentenced to life imprisonment; on the house robbery he was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment. ====================== (The four black men were sentenced in the South Gauteng High Court, wrote journalist Carmen Norton on 4 Dec 2013. According to Lieut Juanita Coetzer, communications officer for the Boksburg North SAPS, the men broke into the woman's house, strangled her and took her belongings. "The docket was assigned to Det W/O Sam Seema, who immediately started investigating and following up leads," she says. All the suspects were placed at the scene due to the brilliant teamwork of Capt Garon Sage, WO Sam Seema, WO Robert Ngomane, WO Stephen Mabirimisa, WO Manie Du Preez, WO Gideon O'Neill and Const Jabulani Nkosi.With the help of some of his fellow detectives, they arrested two of the men in the Angelo Informal Settlement.They followed up further leads and arrested two more suspects in Soweto. "Seema also recovered some of the deceaseds belongings in Soweto." Coetzer adds that the four suspects were found guilty and sentenced as follows: * Avhushoni Lerumo, on the charge of murder, was sentenced to life imprisonment; on the charge of house robbery, he was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment. *n Balelehile Mdidimba, on the charge of murder, was sentenced to life imprisonment; on the charge of house robbery, he was sentenced to 30 years imprisonment. * Rodney Baloyi, on the charge of murder, was sentenced to life imprisonment; on house robbery charge, he was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment. * Joao Mandlathi, on the charge of murder, was sentenced to life imprisonment; on the house robbery he was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment. http://www.looklocal.co.za/looklocal/content/en/boksburg/boksburg-news-crime?oid=7996829&sn=Detail&pid=217466&Four-accused-sentenced-for-murder- ==================== That day, Mrs Muller-Botha's daughter Linda Naudé walked from the court-room shouting loudly: "Thank You Lord'. She didn't care what people thought of her triumphant shout. Ever since her mother's murder, Linda Naudé lives in her own personal prison: she no longer leaves her home - a year after the torture-murder of her mom, she and her husband live in a self-made prison,' writes journalist Johan Eybers in the OosRandBeeld newspaper. "Recently, the four black men who tortured her mother to death were sent to prison (for life). But still, Linda doesn't leave her house, no longer works, and never shops or goes to church without Johan. She has no maid, and the gardener and his son get their food through the rails of her security gate. She keeps a close watch on the closed-circuit TV system's monitors in the living room. My faith in humanity has died with my mother. I am constantly in fear, have so much hatred, pain and fear and miss my mom terribly,' she told journalist Johan Eybers. “It was very difficult for me to keep attending the trial, to view the evidence and the forensic photos, to listen to the testimony and to see those four killers never show any emotion nor any remorse for what they had done to my mother. en hoe hulle haar gemartel het - they ripped her hair from her skull, they stabbed her with a knife in her neck, they cut off one of her ears, they crushed her face with a tyre-iron. They strangled her with a stocking and then they finally smothered her to death with a pillow-case.' "My mom was a nurse who spent her entire life caring for other people. She lost my dad early in their marriage and raised us four daughters with great love and dedication. Her mom lived in the same house where she was murdered for more than fifty years. "She had no problems until a gang of blacks broke into my mother's home - our family home - in September 2012. And several weeks later they came back to murder her - they even bragged about killing my mom at their local shebeen (township pub). She shows the pictures of the murder-scene from the trial: 'You can see how they broke down her doors one by one to reach her, and how they tortured her. Why? I cannot imagine why anyone would be this barbarous.' When Judge Dimpheletse Moshidi sentenced the four blacks op 28 November 2013 to 55 years in prison each, she felt as if she had won a personal victory. "I felt as if the Lord heard my prayers and saw to it that justice was done.' http://www.oosrandbeeld.com/ "There are incredibly dedicated people in the courts and the police who made sure that justice was done. If I could, I would give each one of them a medal,' she said. ec 11 2013: She keeps a close watch on the closed-circuit TV system's monitors in the living room. "My faith in humanity died with my mother... a nurse who spent her entire life caring for other people. She lost my dad early in their marriage and raised us four daughters with great love and dedication. The blacks who tortured her to death even bragged about killing my mom at their local shebeen (township pub). She shows the pictures of the murder-scene from the trial: 'You can see how they broke down her doors one by one to reach her, and how they tortured her. Why? I cannot imagine why anyone would be this barbarous.' http://www.oosrandbeeld.com/109228/news-details/haat-vrees-n%C3%A1-moord-op-ma ORIGINAL AFRIKAANS REPORT: Foto: Johan Eybers 2013-12-11 00:00 Linda Naudé by die monitor in haar kamer wat sy vir ure en ure dophou wanneer haar man Johann nie by die huis is nie. Haar ma Annette Muller-Botha (74) is ’n jaar gelede wreedaardig vermoor. Sowat ’n jaar gelede het Linda Naudé (46) op ’n dag in die vroeë oggendure haar voordeur vir ’n polisie-kapelaan oopgemaak. Nog deur die slaap en in haar nagklere, is sy verpletter deur die nuus: Haar ma wat net ’n blok van haar en haar man Johann in Witfield gewoon het, is wreed vermoor. Nou, ’n jaar later, bly Linda en Johann in hul eie “tronk”, terwyl vier mans twee weke gelede lewenslank tronk toe gestuur is vir die moord op haar ma, die 74-jarige Antoinette Muller-Botha. Linda werk nie meer nie. Sy bestuur nie meer nie en gaan nooit meer sonder Johann winkels of kerk toe nie. Sy sien slegs haar familie, vriende en kerkmense; net by haar huis. Sy laat ook geen vreemdeling in haar huis toe wanneer sy alleen is nie. Sy sien nooit meer die son opkom of ondergaan nie. Sy weier om die tuinwerk te doen waarvoor sy so lief was. Sy het haar huishulp laat loop en die man en sy seun wat nou die tuin moet versorg, kry koffie en kos deur die veiligheidshek. Die kringtelevisiekameras wat Johann intussen geïnstalleer het, die yslike monitors waar sy kan sien wat in en om die huis aangaan, die veiligheidshekke, die noodknoppie, die tweerigtingradio, die pepersproei, haar hondjies wat vir die geluide buite blaf en haar selfoon wat permanent in die aand langs haar bedkassie lê, het nou haar “beste vriende” geword. Sy staar kort-kort na die monitor wat langs die TV in die sitkamer staan waar ons gesels. Sy vra verskoning. “Ek kan myself nie help om na die monitor te staar nie - soms vir ure. Dit laat my beter voel as ek weet wat om die huis aangaan,” sê sy. Voor haar ma se dood was dit anders. Sy was selfstandig, het alles vir haarself gedoen en was permanent doenig in die tuin. “My vertroue in die mensdom en in my medemens is ten diepste aangetas. Dit het my uitkyk op die lewe heeltemal verander. Ek lewe permanent in vrees vir my eie lewe en die lewens van my geliefdes. Ek bel my kinders hoeveel keer per dag om te hoor of hulle okay is. Ek vra die heeltyd - waar is julle, is julle deure gesluit, is julle veilig, is julle okay?” Linda bars uit in trane. “Dit is ’n jaar later, maar ek voel steeds bang en ek wroeg steeds met my gevoelens. Ek voel steeds soveel haat, pyn en vrees en ek mis my ma verskriklik. Ek verstaan nie hoekom sy op só ’n wrede manier vermoor is nie.” Sy skud haar kop. “My ma was haar lewe lank ’n verpleegster wat vir ander mense gesorg het. Sy was liefdevol, goedhartig, sorgsaam, mensliewend en godsdienstig. Maar sy het ook ’n harde en moeilike lewe gehad. “My pa is skielik in ’n motorongeluk dood toe ek nog jonk was en my ma het toe amper die huis verloor. Maar sy het vrou alleen deurgedruk en ons vier dogters met groot liefde en met goeie waardes grootgemaak.” Haar ma het vir meer as 50 jaar in die huis gebly waarin sy vermoor is, sê Linda. “Sy het nooit enige probleme gehad nie voordat rowers in September 2012 by haar huis ingebreek het en haar goedjies gesteel het. ’n Paar weke later het dieselfde rowers teruggekom met voorbedagte rade - om my ma te vermoor. Hulle het kort na die moord selfs daaroor in ’n sjebeen gespog,” sê Linda, duidelik ontsteld. Sy wys die foto’s van die moordtoneel wat in die hof as bewysstukke ingedien is. “Jy kan sien hoe hulle haar deure afgebreek het om by haar uit te kom en hoe hulle haar gemartel het - haar hare uit haar kop uit geruk het, haar met ’n mes in die nek gesteek het, haar oor afgesny het, haar gesig met ’n koevoet vergruis het, haar met ’n sykous verwurg het en toe met ’n kussingsloop versmoor het. “Hoekom? Ek weet nog steeds nie hoe iemand só wreed en barbaars kon wees.” Tog, sê sy, pla die foto’s haar nie meer nie. “Dit was vir my verskriklik moeilik om keer op keer hof toe te gaan, die bewysstukke en foto’s te sien, die getuienis aan te hoor en om die moordenaars te sien wat nooit enige gevoelens van berou getoon het nie. “Ek het by tye die wraakgedagtes teenoor hulle gekoester en selfs fantasieë gehad oor hoe ek hulle persoonlik kan bykom. “Ek was woedend. Hulle het geen reg gehad om my ma uit ons lewens te ruk nie. Sy was ongelooflik gesond, geliefd en helder. Sy was die anker in ons lewens en ’n ma, pa, ouma en oupa vir ons kinders, kleinkinders en agterkleinkinders.” Sy sug. “Ek besef nou dat die moordenaars niks meer is as ’n klomp lafaards nie.”. Linda was die enigste familielid wat die hoofsaak getrou bygewoon het. Sy was ook die enigste een wat in die hof getuig het dat die gesteelde goedere wat by die verdagtes gevind is aan haar ma behoort het. “Ek verkwalik niemand dat hulle nie die hofsaak wou bywoon nie. Ek verstaan dat die hofproses dalk té moeilik was vir die res van my familie. “Wat ek gedoen het, het ek vir myself en vir my ma gedoen. Dit was moeilik maar dit het my gehelp om berusting te kry. Ek dink dit stel my nou in staat om my kinders en my familie te help wat steeds sukkel.” Toe regter Dimpheletse Moshidi die vier beskuldigdes op 28 November elkeen vir 55 jaar tronk toe gestuur het, was dit vir haar ’n oorwinning. Dit was presies ’n jaar na haar ma se dood. “Ek het by die hof uitgestap en kliphard geskreeu: ‘dankie Here, dankie Here’. “Mense het my snaaks aangekyk, maar ek het nie ’n hel omgegee nie. Ek het gevoel die Here het my gebede gehoor en gesorg dat geregtigheid geskied.” Boonop het dit haar vertroue in die mensdom “’n effense hupstoot” gegee. “Daar was ongelooflike toegewyde mense in die polisie en by die howe wat seker gemaak het geregtigheid geskied. As ek kon sou ek vir elkeen van hulle ’n medalje wou gee. Ek is ewig dankbaar vir al hul harde werk en toewyding,” sê sy. ============ ORIGINAL ARREST REPORT