‘‘In a matter of minutes I lost everything I had, including my future.
‘‘We are just trying to figure out how to wake up in the mornings and carry on, until one day it’s maybe not so hard.’’
These were the melancholy words of Jacqui Cooper, days after the sentencing of the two men found guilty of murdering her high school sweetheart and partner of 10 years.
Wayne Bergh was murdered in a house robbery in Alphen Park, on December 9, 2011.
Sam Mhlanga (21) and Bongani Ubisi (25) were sentenced for the murder, in the Delmas High Court, on Thursday, August 22.
The men were each sentenced to life imprisonment for murder, 15 years for aggravated robbery, four years for the possession of illegal unlicensed firearms and two for unlawful ammunition.
The sentences will run concurrently, with the men eligible for parole in 2027.
Wayne’s family sat through 37 court cases since the murder and expressed their ambivalence to the sentences imposed on the men.
Wayne’s mother Veronica Bergh said the perpetrators will still be young enough to have a chance at life when they are released from prison.
‘‘I do not think jail will do them any good in becoming better people,’’ Cooper felt.
The effects of the murder will live on in Wayne’s family members forever.
‘‘They have taken everything; my future husband and children,’’ said Cooper.
‘‘I cannot function in a normal life – none of us go out and socialise – it’s just too difficult.
Cooper, who was at Wayne’s side during the ordeal, is suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and is receiving therapy.
She described Wayne as a moral, ambitious, loving, caring and a righteous individual.
The family keeps his legacy alive by constantly talking about him and living their lives to the good principles he lived his life by.
The family thanked the investigating officer in the case, WO Peter Mbonani, the judge who handed down the sentences, the prosecutor and the watching brief and good friend, Kathleen Hardy.
Some of Wayne’s family members took part in a March Against Crime on June 29, in Benoni, in the hope of bringing about an end to crime in Benoni.
