Family of hit-and-run victim Olivia Sieff say sentencing not enough to ease their pain

The family of 18-year-old Olivia Sieff has spoken out after the sentencing of the woman that killed her in a hit-and-run incident.

Sieff died in Claremont on 30 January 2022 after Onesimo Makhubalo hit her with her car and drove away.

Makhubalo was sentenced to five years in jail for culpable homicide at the Wynberg Regional Court, in Cape Town, on Thursday.

On the lesser charges, the 31-year-old has an option of a R8 000 fine or a further two years in prison. Makhubalo has 14 days to appeal the sentence.

Family speaks out

“Jonny, Christine and Nicky Sieff have already received a life sentence – meted out to them by Makhubalo – when she drove at nearly twice the legal speed limit, veered into and mercilessly struck down Olivia in Claremont, then continued to drive away leaving her to die. She then drove to Newlands Forest, sleeping in her car overnight to evade arrest.

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“Makhubalo’s cowardice and total lack of remorse has been on clear display ever since Olivia’s murder,” said the Olivia Sieff Foundation.

The family said that their lives, and that of Oliva’s extended family and friends, have forever been changed for the worse.

“This killer has robbed us of the joy of Olivia’s future – her career and university life, her marriage, her children, all the good that she had to offer this world,” the Olivia Sieff Foundation continued.

Sentencing not enough

Speaking to The Citizen, the foundation said no sentence would ever be enough to ease the pain of the family’s broken hearts.

“The Sieff family is grateful that Magistrate Karel Meyer has given the accused a custodial jail sentence, during which time, we hope that the killer will contemplate the destruction she has caused to so many lives.

“We hope that she learns the lesson that she should have learned after her first arrest for drunk driving in 2020: when you get into a car whilst under the influence of alcohol or drugs, there is a high probability that you will end up causing death or serious injury to others,” the foundation said.

“The Olivia Sieff Foundation will continue to honour Olivia’s legacy, which is to raise funds to improve the lives of vulnerable children, for which Oliva had a special place in her heart.”

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