Philipstown girlfriend killer jailed after festive season horror

A BRUTAL Christmas-time murder that shocked the small town of Philipstown has ended with a killer behind bars.

On December 27 last year, the festive season turned into tragedy when police discovered the body of 32-year-old Roseline Fillies in her Philipvale home. She had been stabbed to death by the man she loved and trusted — her boyfriend.

The suspect, 25-year-old Edward van Rooi, was arrested within hours of the crime. Bail was denied, and he remained behind bars throughout the trial. The Philipstown Regional Court found him guilty of murder and sentenced him to 15 years’ imprisonment on September 18.

According to Northern Cape police spokesperson Sergeant Molefi Shemane, the case highlights the SAPS’s “steadfast commitment to policing and investigating crimes against women, children and vulnerable groups”.

For Roseline’s family and community, the conviction is a small measure of justice in a province that continues to grapple with unrelenting levels of gender-based violence and femicide. Every week, women are killed at the hands of intimate partners, turning homes — the very places they should feel safest — into crime scenes.

The Pixley ka Seme district commissioner, Major-General Nomana Mtukushe, commended Detective Sergeant Zwelandile Nolusu for his “meticulous” work in securing the conviction and “removing a dangerous perpetrator from society”.

But the case is also a stark reminder: behind every statistic is a woman like Roseline, whose life has been stolen, leaving children, families, and communities scarred.