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A 29-YEAR-old Northern Cape man, Jonathan Cloete, was sentenced by the Garies Regional Court for murdering his girlfriend’s father, despite claims that he was acting in self-defence.
Cloete was consuming alcohol with friends at his girlfriend’s home in Paulshoek, near Garies, on October 8, 2022, at the time of the incident.
According to the regional spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), Mojalefa Senokoatsane, Cloete became embroiled in an argument with his girlfriend.
“A scuffle ensued when the accused (Cloete) attacked his girlfriend’s father, Jan Links, when he tried to intervene,” said Senokoatsane.
“The father took out his knife and stabbed the accused in the arm. One of the accused’s friends intervened and stopped the fight between the accused and the father. The accused and his friend left the house.”
Senokoatsane added that Cloete returned to the house carrying a knife and proceeded to stab Links, “without saying a word”.
“The accused left the house and the father succumbed to his injuries on the scene. The girlfriend had left her home with her child, who was traumatised after witnessing the family scuffle. She returned to find the lifeless body of her father, covered with a duvet. The police were called and the accused was arrested the same night.”
Senokoatsane stated that the court rejected the version that Cloete was acting in self-defence.
“He was found guilty of murder and he was sentenced to 12 years imprisonment, of which four years were suspended for five years on condition that the accused is not convicted of murder, attempted murder, assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm or assault common committed during the period of suspension.”
Senokoatsane added that Cloete was also found unfit to possess a firearm.
“The knife that was confiscated by the police was ordered to be forfeited to the State so that it could be destroyed.”