VEREENIGING — On November 11, the regional court delivered judgment in the high-profile murder case of Linell (Chanelle) du Toit, who was doused with petrol and set on fire by her partner, Pieter Stephanus (Stephan) van Staden, in October 2024.
He accepted this sentence as part of a type of plea agreement with the state, which resulted in the other charges against him not being pursued further.

At his first court appearance last year, Van Staden shuffled into the dock with bandages on his legs. They covered the burn wounds he sustained during the incident.

Van Staden initially pleaded not guilty when he appeared in court on October 28.
In his statement, however, he admitted that he and Du Toit had argued on October 26, 2024 while both were under the influence of drugs.

During the argument, he poured petrol over her at the flat they shared in Unie Street in Vereeniging’s city centre and set her alight.

Du Toit suffered severe burn wounds over about 80% of her body — including her face, arms, abdomen and legs — and died two days later in Sebokeng Hospital.

In a video she shared on social media before her death, she told the world that Van Staden had set her on fire.

“I foresaw that the fire could lead to the deceased’s death,” Van Staden wrote in his statement.
He further admitted that he “legally has no defence.”

State prosecutor Reuben Chabalala handled the case for the state, while Advocate Riaan Morton represented Van Staden. Regional magistrate Nico van der Berg delivered the judgment.

2023 violence case also finalised

On the same day, the court also finalised an older docket against Van Staden from 2023. Although the cases were not officially combined, they were dealt with before the same regional magistrate. The 2023 case included a series of serious charges, including:

• robbery with aggravating circumstances (February 12, 2023)
• assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm by pouring petrol on another woman, Chantelee de Lange
• mistreatment and torture of an animal
• pouring petrol on a dog
• throwing a dog against a wall (August 2023)

According to the state, these charges were not pursued further after the agreement in which Van Staden’s murder conviction and 15-year sentence were finalised.

Pattern of violence

Court documents show that since 2011, Van Staden has had several previous convictions, mostly for drug offences and obstruction of police officers.

The finalisation of both the 2024 murder case and the 2023 violence case on the same day paints a clear picture of an escalating pattern of violence that built up over the years and ultimately reached its peak during the last incident.