Two men have been sentenced to life imprisonment by the Western Cape High Court for the fatal shooting of a pregnant woman and the attempted murder of two others in Cape Town during 2020.
Jeremiah Fortuin (42) and Ricardo Cloete (43) were convicted for the murder of 21-year-old Shahieda Nathan, who was eight months pregnant when she was shot dead at her home in Scottsdene, Kraaifontein on 21 June 2020.
Two men aged, 29 and 37, were also wounded in the attack. The court heard that the victims were relaxing at home when two gunmen entered the house and began shooting randomly. Nathan died from her injuries, while the two male victims survived.
On Tuesday, 17 March 2026, both men received life sentences for murder and 15 years for each count of attempted murder. They were also sentenced to six years under the Prevention of Organised Crime Act. Fortuin received an additional 11 years for possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition. All sentences run concurrently with the life terms.
Sergeant Christopher Elvin Conradie of the Provincial Organised Crime Anti-Gang Unit led the investigation, gathering evidence for the prosecution. During court proceedings, the state successfully opposed bail for Fortuin, while Cloete was granted R2 000 bail but was later re-arrested for breaching bail conditions. Western Cape Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant-General Thembisile Patekile commended the police work that led to the convictions for crimes dating back to 2019.
