I was recently reminded about the case of Chanelle Henning. It seems that murder for hire is becoming a theme, or is it?
On November 7, 2011, the 26-year-old Chanelle dropped her five-year-old son off at a nursery school in Pretoria.
Shortly thereafter, on that fateful Wednesday morning, Chanelle was gunned down.
Two men on a motorcycle shot her in her vehicle, and she died from blood loss due to multiple bullet wounds.
Gerhardus du Plessis and Willem Pieterse were the men on the motorbike; they were soon arrested for Chanelle’s murder.
Both men pleaded guilty and were sentenced to 18 years in prison each.
But they were merely the hitmen hired by Ambrose Monye, who was hired by André Gouws.
Police soon arrested Monye and Gouws for their involvement. They both pled not guilty but would eventually be found guilty in the arranged hit on Chanelle.
The interesting fact here is that Gouws and Chanelle’s estranged husband, Nico Henning, were reportedly good friends. Nico and Chanelle were in the middle of a lengthy custody battle.
Two years after Chanelle’s murder, her husband Nico handed himself over to the police.
Gouws testified that Nico offered him R1-million to murder Chanelle: his motive, custody of their son, and no more maintenance to pay.
Unfortunately, the state dropped the case, and we are still waiting to see if Nico will be prosecuted.
We shouldn’t speculate before Nico has had his day in court, but Chanelle’s parents firmly believe he is behind the murder of their beloved daughter. The coincidence is just too great here.
When a woman is murdered, chances are higher than 80% that it was her partner or ex-partner.
We have seen it repeatedly, and in a country like South Africa, some might get away with these types of murders because the murder rate is so high.
There is just too much crime and not enough police.
But the question remains… why?
Nico and Chanelle could have fought their battle in court, but Chanelle was not granted that opportunity. Her life was violently ended, and their son’s life turned upside down just because one person couldn’t get what they wanted.
It’s the same with women who have their husbands murdered for financial reasons. Should all women fear the day they want a divorce, and should all wealthy men sleep with one eye open?
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