Culture

South African serial killer, rapist bags eight life sentences

Published

2 months ago

September 20, 2024

A South African serial killer and rapist, Johan Jacobus Williams, has been sentenced to a total of eight life imprisonments after he was found guilty of luring young women whom he raped and killed.

The verdict which was handed by a the High Court of South Africa, Western Cape Division, on Thursday, also added an additional 60 years to the eight life terms.

According to a statement by the spokesperson of the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), Eric Ntabazalila, Williams targeted desperate young women, promising them employment opportunities, only for them to be found raped, murdered and buried in shallow graves.

“Williams was earlier convicted in February on 19 counts,” Ntabazalila said.

“These include six counts of kidnapping, five counts of rape, two counts of attempted rape, three counts of murder, a count of housebreaking with intent to commit arson and arson, a count of assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm and failure to comply with a protection order.

“The 52-year-old’s reign of terror between 2012 and 2018 in Wellington saw him kidnapping and murdering Natalie Jonkers, Maria Isaacs, and Chantelle Matthyssen who he also raped.

“His modus operandi was that he promised them employment opportunities, only for them to be later found murdered and buried in shallow graves.

“He argued that it was a coincidence that all three women were last seen in his company, and he did not understand how he was convicted on the charges the State preferred against him.”

During the trial, Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions, advocate Maria Marshall described the accused as a serial murderer and rapist who showed no remorse and emotions.

During the trial, local media nicknamed the father of nine the ‘Boland Serial Killer” after it was found that he had lured women to a farm in Wellington under false pretences and later murdered them.

“His evil deeds came to light in July 2018 when he was busted for the murder of missing Kuils River mom, Chantell Mathyssen,” a taboid wrote.

“The 21-year-old mother’s body was found on Aubon Rue Farm just weeks after she was lured to Wellington by Williams who had promised her a job.

“During the trial his former girlfriend also testified against him and told the court about the text messages between him and another victim, Maria Isaacs,33.

“Maria was taken by her cousin Magdalena to meet with Williams on 16 June 2018 at Wellington Police Station.

“Maria left with Williams and her family never heard from her again and she was later reported missing. In July 2018, Maria’s body was also discovered on Aubon Rue Farm while her personal belongings were found in Williams’ possession. She had been strangled to death.

“During the same time that Maria disappeared, Chantell also went missing after going to meet Williams, who had promised her a job in Wellington.

“Her body was found on Aubon Rue Farm on the same day that Maria’s body was found and Williams later led cops to the site where he had buried mom Natalie Jonkers, 35, several years earlier.

“On Thursday Judge Rosheni Allie did not mince her words as she slammed Williams for tormenting the grieving families throughout the trial.

She highlighted the trauma of Carol Petersen, during the search of her daughter Chantell, saying Williams sent messages from his victim’s phone to give the family false hope.

“In those messages, he cruelly led Mrs Petersen to believe that Chantell was alive and well at her place of employment when all the while he knew he violently raped her, murdered her, and buried her body on a farm covered by bush and branches,” the Judge said.

“The accused treated women as objects that he could dominate and do with as he pleased and he wasn’t shy to boast about his sexual prowess with the women he eventually murdered.”

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Culture

DRC authorities arrest six over break-in at Lumumba’s Mausoleum

Published

10 hours ago

November 21, 2024

Isaac Dachen

Police in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) say six people have been arrested over a break-in and vandalism at the mausoleum of the country’s assassinated independence leader, Patrice Lumumba, in Kinshasa, the country’s capital.

The police had announced the six arrests late Wednesday and said they were still looking for two more suspects.

Interior Minister, Jacquemin Shabani, said in a statement that during the break-in which occurred on Monday, a case containing a single gold-capped tooth, the only part of the former leader that remained after his assassination, was broken by the vandals.

“We assure that the relic is secure and it is protected,” the minister said, without offering more information.

The return of Lumumba’s tooth from former colonizer Belgium in 2022 had been celebrated around Congo, with the tooth taken around the vast country so people could pay their respects.

Lumumba is widely hailed as the nationalist activist who helped end colonial rule in the DRC and went on to become the country’s first prime minister and was seen as one of Africa’s most promising new leaders, but he was assassinated within a year in 1961.

His body was dismembered and dissolved with acid in an apparent effort to keep any grave from becoming a pilgrimage site.

For many in Congo, Lumumba is a symbol of the positive developments the country could have achieved after its independence but instead, it became mired in decades of dictatorship that drained its vast mineral riches.

A military coup toppled Lumumba, who was arrested, jailed and later killed. His assassination, blamed on separatists, cleared the way for the rise of Mobutu Sese Seko, who ruled the country he later renamed Zaire for decades with support from Western powers until his death in 1997.

His one remaining tooth was kept by the Belgian police commissioner who oversaw the destruction of his body.

The tooth was returned to Congo after the visit of Belgium’s King Philippe, who expressed regrets for his nation’s abuses in Congo when it was a Belgian colony.

Culture

Miss SA opens up on why she withdrew from Miss Universe pageant

Published

1 day ago

November 20, 2024

Isaac Dachen

Reigning Miss South Africa 2024, Mia le Roux, has opened up on the reasons behind her withdrawal from the Miss Universe pageant which was held in Mexico, where Nigeria’s Chidinma Adetshina was the first runner-up.

While narrating her experience in a video she shared on social media on Wednesday, le Roux said her body was taking so much physical strain.

“Hello everyone, I’m back in South Africa and wanted to reach out to you all. Thank you so much for all of your kind wishes, your support and prayers,” she said in the video.

“I wanted to be transparent with you and share my story. A lot of you would’ve seen the video that I made about vertigo, while I was in Mexico at Miss Universe.

“Vertigo is a condition where it feels like you are dizzy and there’s a sense of the world spinning around you. It’s very intense and can cause major issues with your imbalance.

“Mentally I was very strong, I was ready, but physically, my body was taking strain. I had to even seek medical help in Mexico City. And even after the medical help, my condition still wasn’t improving.”

She added that during the preliminary rounds of Miss Universe, she had continued to push herself but her vertigo intensified and it became unmanageable.

She stated that while she was waiting backstage, she fell repeatedly and couldn’t stand up without support and was not in a position to safely walk on stage.

“It was not easy. As I was not doing it just for myself but for all of you in South Africa,” she said.

“I will continue to serve as your Miss South Africa, to support and uplift those who come after me. With my unbreakable spirit and an exciting year ahead, I will keep fighting for myself and for everyone with dreams and passions. I am so proud to still be your Miss South Africa,” she added.