The Makhanda High Court has sentenced a 45-year-old man convicted of the murder of his life partner to life imprisonment for murder and three years’ imprisonment for attempting to defeat the ends of justice.
Ronnie Roets was sentenced on Thursday after being found guilty of one count of murder for killing his life partner. The court also ordered that the two sentences run concurrently.
Background of the case
On September 23, 2023, at approximately 7pm, Roets returned home and began assaulting his life partner after accusing her of having an affair with a man who had stabbed Roets the previous week.
The woman fell to the floor, whereupon Roets lifted her to the bed and strangled her. He continued to assault her, beating her in the face and upper body until she was unresponsive. After the assault, her got into bed and lay next to her.
The following morning, Roets washed the woman’s face after realising that she was dead. He then instructed their 11-year-old daughter to tell the police there had been a house robbery and that the intruders had assaulted her and the woman.
He also called the woman’s family and told them she was not waking up. The family arrived at the home and discovered her lifeless body and contacted the police.
Roets lied to the police about there having been a robbery, and his daughter also corroborated the story. However, the child confessed that her father had assaulted her mom and also coached her to lie about the robbery during an interview with a social worker.
Roets was eventually arrested on April 22 this year, after police received additional statements from the child and social worker. He was interrogated and eventually confessed that there had been no robbery and that he had assaulted his partner.
He was then charged with murder, and his bail application denied.
The Sarah Baartman District Commissioner, Major-General Thandiswa Kupiso, commended the investigating team and the social workers for securing justice.
Kupiso said Roets’ harsh sentence sent an unequivocal message that gender-based violence and attempts to manipulate the justice system would be dealt with.
“We applaud the diligence of the investigating officers, Detective Warrant Officer January, Detective Sergeant Arnold and the critical role played by the social worker in ensuring a vulnerable child’s voice was heard,” said Kupiso.
