The Middelburg Division of the High Court, convicted and sentenced Poyisa Gilbert Voyiya (46) from Klarinet, to life imprisonment for the premeditated murder of his wife, Nelly Coldetia Voyiya (36).

The couple, who were legally married and share a child, were undergoing divorce proceedings at the time of the incident.

On April 19, 2022, the deceased was driving in Emalahleni when the killer began following her.

He chased her vehicle, causing her to crash into a streetlight.

She fled the scene on foot, but the accused pursued her, and brutally stabbed her multiple times in the upper body.

He then fled to Standerton, where he confessed to the murder to his cousin, who subsequently took him to the police.

The victim was rushed to a nearby hospital but succumbed to her injuries.

A postmortem confirmed the cause of death as multiple sharp force injuries.

In court, the accused pleaded guilty, but claimed he was mentally unstable at the time of the offence.

However, following psychiatric evaluations, he was found competent to stand trial.

Senior State Advocate Bakedi Maoke submitted that the guilty plea did not diminish the severity of the offence.

She emphasised the country’s ongoing struggle with gender-based violence and femicide, and highlighted the devastating impact on the couple’s 12-year-old child, who will now grow up without a mother.

Advocate Maoke urged the court to impose the prescribed minimum sentence of life imprisonment, which the court duly granted.

In sentencing, the court commented on the brutal and senseless nature of the attack, and further declared the killer unfit to possess a firearm.