GEORGE – A man from George who brutally murdered his ex-wife with a panga just two months after their marriage, has been sentenced to life imprisonment by the High Court of South Africa.
Rodney Witbooi received the life sentence plus additional terms totalling 37 years and three months after being convicted on charges including murder, attempted rape, housebreaking, attempted murder, and illegal possession of drugs.
The case began in January 2020 when Witbooi attempted to rape Hayley Bruinders outside the Purple Turtle Nightclub in Pacaltsdorp. Senior State Advocate Evadne Kortje led 13 witnesses who testified that Witbooi approached Bruinders when alone, then choked and dragged her to a darker area.
Armed with a knife, Witbooi threatened and assaulted Bruinders in an attempted rape. The victim fought back, stabbing her attacker in the face and screaming for help. Her friends chased down Witbooi and handed him to police.
While facing attempted rape charges, Witbooi became romantically involved with Sone le Roux. The couple lived together for two years before marrying on 12 October 2022, residing with Le Roux’s sister Chaindre at the family home on Boekenhout Street, Loerie Park.
On 19 December 2022, an intoxicated Witbooi became aggressive during a social gathering, physically assaulting his wife and sister-in-law. Police removed him from the property with warnings not to return.
The sisters obtained an interim protection order under the Domestic Violence Act, though Witbooi was never formally served. While in custody, officers discovered drugs in Witbooi’s possession during a cell search, leading to additional charges.
Despite warnings and the protection order, Witbooi returned to the house in the early hours of 21 December 2022. Sone, who had been tracking his movements on her phone, alerted her sister to his presence.
The victim found Witbooi inside the house armed with a panga. When she told him their relationship was over, he flew into a rage, attacking her with the weapon. As Chaindre and her boyfriend attempted to intervene, Witbooi attacked them as well, also assaulting a responding security officer.
Security personnel eventually cornered and disarmed Witbooi before handing him to police. Sone was however declared dead at the scene, her head and face mutilated by repeated panga blows.
Advocate Kortje argued that Witbooi’s actions showed clear premeditation. “The accused was frustrated and there was a deliberate escalation of his actions,” she told the court. “He entered the house from which he was banned, armed with a panga… He had the direct intention to kill her.”
Initially pleading guilty only to drug charges, Witbooi later changed his plea. The court convicted him of premeditated murder.
The comprehensive sentence includes life imprisonment for murder, 15 years for attempted rape, 15 years for attempted murder, seven years for housebreaking and three months for drug possession.
All sentences run concurrently, effectively meaning life imprisonment.
Western Cape Director of Public Prosecutions Advocate Nicolette Bell praised the investigation and prosecution team for “sending another gender-based violence and femicide criminal to prison for life.”
Bell assured Western Cape residents that “the fight against gender-based violence and femicide will continue unabated” as the province enters the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence campaign.
