Annette Searle, sister of murder victim Terrence Sole from Edenvale, welcomed the life sentence handed down on Berito Payito, who was found guilty of her brother’s murder.
Payito was sentenced on October 31 at the Johannesburg High Court after he was found guilty on October 24.
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“It is like a tremendous weight has been lifted off our shoulders. We are so happy that everything has come to an end,” said Annette.
Sole was murdered almost 13 months before Payito’s conviction.
On September 27, 2017, Sole’s body was found at his home in Palliser Road, by his brother-in-law, Alf Searle.
Police believed Sole had been dead for a few days before his body was found.
When the NEWS reported about Payito’s conviction online, it was welcomed by the Edenvale community.
Alf, Annette’s husband, believes the matter was handled swiftly because Payito pleaded guilty to all charges.
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“From what I saw in court, Payito showed no remorse. He was impassive,” said Alf.
The couple thanked the Edenvale SAPS Detective Services for their assistance.
“I feel eternally grateful to Sgt Adam Mathipa who investigated the matter. He did a very good job and we cannot fault him on anything,” said Annette.
She said as the investigation gained momentum, Mathipa contacted the couple frequently.
Edenvale SAPS spokesperson Capt Jean Olckers said in addition to the life sentence, Payito received 15 years’ imprisonment for robbery and 10 years for breaking into Sole’s property.
Olckers said during investigations, police learned that Sole knew Payito.
“Payito broke into Sole’s home, thinking nobody was there, but Sole was at his house,” he said.
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“Sole identified Payito which led to Payito killing him in order to protect his identity.”
Alf and Annette confirmed that Payito had worked for Sole as a gardener, as well as doing odd jobs on his property.
“Although we are happy about the conviction, we know that Terry will never come back to us,” said Annette.
“We were all very close and spent a lot of time together. That is what we will miss the most.”
Annette said in addition to being close to his family, Terrence enjoyed learning more about historical battles and was a specialist in the Anglo-Zulu War of 1879.
In 2011, he wrote and published For God, Queen and Colony, which discussed medals of various regiments from the Anglo-Zulu War of 1879.
Alf explained that because of his interest in history Terrence had a medal collection dating back to 1879.
“In July, the medals were auctioned for R1.7-million which was given to his granddaughter in London,” said Alf.
