Hefty sentence for man who strangled elderly woman to death in KZN

The Durban High Court has sentenced Bheki Msomi (46), to life and 27 years imprisonment for the murder of an elderly woman, the attempted murder of her daughter, and robbery with aggravating circumstances.

This is in connection with crimes committed in February 2020 in Chatsworth in KwaZulu-Natal.

Jinsee Ram (73) lived with her husband in the area, while their daughter Sangeetha Prithipaul, lived in Johannesburg but had come home to visit her parents before the incident.

KZN’s National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Natasha Ramkisson-Kara said Msomi knew about Ram and her family from Simphiwe Cele, who worked for them and had shared a trusting relationship.

“On the day of the incident, the men, together with their co-perpetrators, entered Ram’s house after her husband had left.”

“Ram was strangled in the presence of her daughter, who was bound, gagged, and severely assaulted. The men then fled with cash, a cell phone, and a laptop computer.”

“Since Cele was known to the family and the men were arrested soon after.

“At the onset of the case, Cele was found to be unfit to stand trial, as he was declared a state president’s patient and admitted into a mental care facility,” said Ramkisson-Kara.

In court, Ramkisson-Kara said Senior State Advocate Khatija Essack led the testimony of a state witness who implicated himself as well as Msomi and Cele and the eyewitness testimony of Prithipaul.

Essack also led the evidence of the police officer who had recovered the stolen laptop and cellphone in Msomi’s possession.

Further, Essack presented the court with a victim impact statement compiled by Prithipaul, and facilitated by court preparation officer Prudence Geraud.

In her statement, she described how Cele had breached their trust by planning this attack on her family, even though they had supported him financially.

She further detailed how the incident has impacted her, saying that she cannot sleep, avoids interacting with people, and has had to leave her job as an optometrist.

She described her late mother as a kind and strong woman who worked tirelessly in their community.

Ramkisson-Kara said Msomi’s convictions were because he had acted in common with Cele and the others in the commission of the offences.

He was sentenced to life imprisonment for murder, 15 years imprisonment for attempted murder, and 12 years imprisonment for robbery with aggravating circumstances.

The court ruled that the attempted murder and robbery sentences run concurrently with life. The court refused his application for leave to appeal both his conviction and sentence.

“The NPA welcomes the successful finalisation of this matter. We hope that the sentences metered out will have the desired deterrent effect. We commend the work done by the prosecution and SAPS in securing this conviction,” said Ramkisson-Kara.