IF he could not have her, no-one else could.
That was the thought that drove Colin Kannemeyer (58) to the premeditated murder of his wife, Cheryl-Ann (61), last December in Gqeberha.
Kannemeyer pleaded guilty to the murder of his wife on December 27, as well as assaulting her 10 days before the murder at their home, when he appeared in the High Court in Gqeberha last Tuesday.
The Kannemeyers have three adult children who, along with other family members, were present in court.
Kannemeyer greeted his children as he was brought from the detention cells to the courtroom.
He entered into a plea and sentencing agreement with the state under Section 105A of the Criminal Procedure Act.
Before the court proceedings, Johan van der Spuy, Kannemeyer’s Legal Aid SA attorney, showed him the plea document again. After this, he turned around in the dock to his children and said “I love you” before sitting down.
Moments later, he bowed his head and cried softly. His family members passed him a tissue through the court orderly.
During the court session, Kanne-meyer’s plea explanation was read to the court.
According to this, he and Cheryl-Ann were experiencing financial challenges in December.
At a friend’s 60th birthday celebration Kannemeyer suspected, in a conversation with a friend, that his wife was discussing their problems with other people. This led to an argument between them the next day, during which Kannemeyer slapped his wife twice in the face.
Cheryl-Ann then went to live with one of their children. Meanwhile, it became clear that the assault had become known to their joint employer, a real estate agency, and there was a chance he might have to look for work elsewhere.
During this time he also realised his wife was not going to move back home, and he was terrified that she would leave him after 35 years of marriage.
“I was infatuated with her and obsessed with my wife, and I was also very jealous,” reads Kannemeyer’s plea explanation.
The day after Christmas, Kannemeyer was depressed about his problems at work and with his wife. He decided to take his own life, but was interrupted by his phone ringing.
Kannemeyer then decided he would try to talk to his wife one more time to clear things up, but if that failed, he would kill her and himself.
Cheryl-Ann stopped at the house the next day and packed her things. Kannemeyer put a rope and a kitchen knife in his pocket, before going to talk to Cheryl-Ann at her car.
However, she ignored him, after which he grabbed her by the neck and strangled her until she lost consciousness. He then pulled the rope around her neck and strangled her further, before pulling the knife from his pocket and repeatedly stabbing her.
Kannemeyer then stabbed himself. He lost consciousness and woke up in the hospital. He told the court he had planned to die that day, with his wife.
After his arrest he indicated from the outset that he wanted to plead guilty, Netwerk24 previously reported.
The court accepted his plea on Tuesday, and sentenced him to 25 years in prison for the murder, and 30 days in prison for the assault.
After the court session, Dexter, one of the Kannemeyer’s sons, told Netwerk24 that no-one else will understand the extraordinary situation their family is in.
“Not only have we been robbed of our beloved mother, but we have also lost our father.”
He said that his father does not easily show emotion, which made it difficult for them to see him emotional in court.
Dexter acknowledged that the family is struggling to accept the loss, but his father’s admission of guilt shows them there is some remorse.
“It was the right thing to do, because he knows his family needs closure.”
However, Dexter said that no term of imprisonment would bring justice for his mother’s life.
