Loerie Park panga murder: Graphic evidence revealed as pathologist testifies

• Warning: Content may upset sensitive readers.

Soneé Witbooi was mutilated by 13 chop wounds to her face, as well as the top and back of her head.

Most of the wounds were deep and severe, several of them causing fractures, and at least one extended into the cranium. Some measured up to 140mm in length.

George Herald reports that this was revealed in the George Circuit High Court yesterday, during forensic pathologist Dr Christa Hattingh’s testimony in the murder case against 34-year-old Rodney Witbooi, who stands accused of killing his wife, 28-year-old Soneé, with a panga on December 21, 2022.

According to Hattingh, the extent of the injuries and the crushed skull indicated tremendous force, comparable to what is typically seen in victims of a serious car accident. Hattingh said that one of the blows to Soneé’s head was enough to kill her. “Most of the injuries were to her head, and the head is a vulnerable part of your body. Her death wasn’t immediate, but it was quick.”

In total, Soneé sustained 20 wounds, nearly all of them chop wounds. Further wounds were found on her hands and arms, described as defensive injuries sustained while trying to protect herself from the blows.

Lifting the blood-stained panga, sealed in a police evidence bag, Hattingh said she had no doubt that this weapon was consistent with Soneé’s injuries.

She explained that in forensic pathology, a chop wound is caused by a heavy, sharp-edged weapon such as a panga or axe.

It combines the features of both an incised wound (a clean cut made by something sharp) and a laceration (a tear caused by blunt force).

Because of the weapon’s weight and the force used, chop wounds can cut through skin and soft tissue and often damage underlying structures such as muscles, bones and even the skull.

“The person who used it must have used significant force to inflict those kinds of injuries,” said Hattingh.

After her testimony under questioning by state prosecutor Adv Evadné Kortje, the court heard the instructions the accused had given his legal representative, senior counsel Johan Visser.

According to these instructions, Soneé’s sister, Chandré, had allegedly attacked him with a stick, and he used the panga to block it. This, he claimed, could be how Soneé had sustained her injuries.

Security guards testify

On Wednesday morning, two security guards who were on night shift the night of the murder gave their versions of events.

Both guards said they had responded to a distress call from the Witbooi residence in Loerie Park, where someone had reported being threatened by a person with a panga.

They said that when they arrived, they found the motorised gate in front of the house had been opened for them. As they reached the front door, they heard a woman screaming.

They said that while Soneé’s sister Chandré was in the process of opening the front door, Witbooi came from behind and struck her on the back of the shoulder with a panga. Despite this, she managed to open the security gate.

The court heard that Witbooi saw the guards and fled to the kitchen. The guards followed him and found him still armed with the panga. A struggle ensued before one of the guards managed to overpower and cuff him, and then they waited for the police to arrive.

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