Husband wants to plead guilty in panga murder

Update

GEORGE NEWS - Though her head was mutilated by 13 panga wounds, the 28-year-old Soneé Witbooi’s husband, Rodney (34), told the George Circuit High Court on Tuesday 28 October that he had not meant to kill her.

On Wednesday morning, 29 October, through his legal representative, Senior Counsel Adv Johan Visser, Witbooi indicated that he would change his initial plea of not guilty to that of guilty on the charge of murder.

However, during his testimony on Tuesday, Witbooi had maintained the murder was not with intent.

The court had heard that he had gone to their Loerie Park home that evening after drinking with some friends, and that he had been upset because his mother-in-law, Charmaine le Roux, had told him to divorce Soneé.

At the time, Soneé lived in the house with her sister, Chandré le Roux, Le Roux’s fiancé, their aunt and mother. Previous witnesses, including Le Roux, testified of domestic violence within the marriage.

Witbooi took the stand to give his version of the events surrounding the early hours of 21 December 2022, when he allegedly hacked his wife to death with a brand-new panga he bought the day before. Witbooi claimed he had bought and carried the panga for self-defence while moving through nearby informal settlements, but could not explain why he had taken it to the house that evening.

Police witnesses earlier testified that the officers had responded to the same home on 19 December after Soneé had reported an assault. She told them Witbooi had threatened her and that she wanted him to leave.

He was out on bail for an attempted sexual offence charge from August 2020 and under correctional supervision to stay at the Loerie Park address. Soneé did not lay charges then, but applied for a protection order the following day - hours before she was killed.

Witbooi insisted their marriage had problems but that here had been no violence, and blamed the tension on his mother-in-law. The night before the murder, he was arrested for disorderly behaviour after refusing to leave the property when the police responded to the domestic violence complaint.

He allegedly also chased after and attacked the sisters inside the house. Soneé asked that he stay with family in Pacaltsdorp instead. He was released the next day, and later allegedly bought the panga.

Witbooi said when he returned to the house that night, Soneé didn’t want to let him in as her sister and her fiancé were still awake. The Witboois had moved into a flat behind the house shortly after they got married earlier that year.

That evening, allegedly out of fear of her husband, Soneé had decided to stay in the house with her sister.

Getting into the house

Witbooi denied breaking into their Loerie Park home after he was denied entrance. He claimed Soneé had helped him through a window.

In Le Roux’s testimony on Monday morning, she said she, Soneé and her fiancé had been in her bedroom when Witbooi walked in holding a panga, saying he wanted to talk to his wife, at the same time screaming obscenities at them. She had made no mention of Soneé helping him through a window.

Witbooi said after his wife had helped him into the house, he fell asleep in a bedroom cupboard from drinking heavily with some friends during the day. When he woke, he took the panga and went to Le Roux’s room where the three were sitting on the bed. He said he wanted to speak to his wife.

He testified that as they walked down the passage towards the living room, Soneé in front, Le Roux came from behind with a pool cue. The court heard that Soneé saw Le Roux approaching and pushed her away. In the process, Soneé allegedly fell against the wall and to the floor.

Witbooi claimed that in trying to protect himself from Le Roux’s blows, he used the panga to deflect the pool cue and must have hit his wife by accident.

Soneé sustained 20 wounds, including 13 chop wounds to her head and face.

Witbooi admitted that Soneé had asked him several times during the night to put the panga down.

State Advocate Evadné Kortje put it to Witbooi that he had gone to the house with the intention of attacking and murdering his wife. This Witbooi denied.

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