Five men convicted of the rape and murder of 17-year-old Cytheria Rex have been sentenced — two to life imprisonment and three to 25 years behind bars — following South Africa’s longest-running rape and murder trial, which was postponed over 115 times across 17 years.
Rex was raped and murdered in Kraaifontein on 21 February 2009 after a knife attack following a party. Her killers attempted to dispose of her body by throwing it over a wall and, when that failed, placed her into a wheelie bin and dumped it on a field.
Lee Cloete, who was 18 at the time, and Ronwen Rhodes, who was 20, were sentenced to life imprisonment. Virgil Sass, who was 16, and Oswill Grootboom and Imraan Hendricks, both 17, were each sentenced to 25 years. Two other accused, Warren Robertson and Keenan Lewis, have since died.
Relief and sadness
Rex’s family greeted the verdict with both relief and sadness. Her mother, Jacqueline Rex, told Die Son, “Thank you, Jesus! I am glad it is over, but it will not take away the pain and the hurt. She was a flower; she didn’t deserve the death she got. Yes, she was naughty in her ways; she was a people person and everyone loved her. I just praise the Lord that these people will take the Lord’s hand and think about what they have done.”
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Rex’s aunt, Cathleen van der Merwe, echoed the sentiment, saying that while they celebrated the end of the case, it would never heal their wounds. “I am still emotional about everything that we had to go through; their families can still go and visit them in jail, but it won’t bring our child back,” she said.
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) welcomed the sentence and applauded the investigation and prosecution team who stuck with the case over the number of years despite frustrations caused by the long delays to ensure justice for the victim, her family and the community that has supported them over the years.
“The delays in this case are inexcusable, and it is blatantly obvious that they were not caused by the State,” NPA spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila told TygerBurger. “The accused frustrated the case with long delays resulting in it being postponed more than a hundred times.”
As the National Prosecuting Authority, we have committed and we still carry that commitment to ensure justice for victims of crime while guided by the Constitution.
Those were 54 times on account of legal representatives; four times on account of the magistrate; seven times on account of further particulars; two times on account of representations; seven times on account of bail applications; 22 times on account of the accused being absent in court; two times on account of the prosecutor being absent; 21 times on account of the trial commencing, one time on account of Covid-19, two counts of witnesses being absent in court; one time on account of the recording machine not working; two times on account of accused who died; one time on account of arguments; four times on account of sentencing; two times on account of submission of reports; and three times on account of the appointment of a new magistrate to preside over the matter.
“As the National Prosecuting Authority, we have committed and we still carry that commitment to ensure justice for victims of crime while guided by the Constitution. This case is another demonstration of our never give up attitude for justice especially for victims of gender-based violence and femicide. We hope the family and the community will find solace in knowing that the accused who caused them unbearable pain will spend a very long time in prison paying a heavy price for the heinous crimes they committed,” he said.
Justice delayed
In an earlier statement Action Society condemned the delay of justice.
Almost seventeen years later, her family remains trapped in a cycle of delay and uncertainty, forced to endure repeated postponements while the men responsible for this extreme violence continue to avoid final sentencing. Cytheria Rex was murdered after being raped and subjected to a sustained and frenzied knife attack. The severity of her injuries reflected a level of violence that shocked the community and should have placed the case among the highest priorities of the criminal justice system,” a spokesperson of the organisation said.
“Instead, the matter became one of the longest-running murder trials in South African history, plagued by almost seventeen years of systemic dysfunction.”
