Man Sentenced to 20 Years for Killing Partner

A 29-year-old man has been sentenced to 20 years imprisonment for the murder of his domestic partner in a case that highlights the ongoing scourge of gender-based violence in the country. Jacobus Pitso (“Pitso”) appeared before the Northern Cape High Court in Kimberley, where he pleaded guilty to murder and two counts of assault stemming from incidents in September of 2024, in Postmasburg.

The court heard harrowing details of how Pitso stabbed his partner nine times in a jealous rage after suspecting her of having an affair with another man. The victim was the mother of Pitso’s five-year-old son and had been in a domestic relationship with the accused for several years. According to Pitso’s written plea, the fatal incident began when a man arrived at their shared home looking for the accused’s brother. Convinced this visitor was there to see his partner, Pitso confronted the man, leading to a physical altercation. After chasing the visitor away with a knife, Pitso returned “very infuriated” and began stabbing the deceased “randomly on her body.”

The victim attempted to flee but Pitso pursued her and continued the attack even after she had fallen to the ground. A friend who tried to intervene was also assaulted. The rampage only ended when the friend pushed Pitso away and threw stones at him. In a moment of clarity afterward, Pitso attempted suicide twice. First, he tried to cut his own throat with a knife, then attempted to hang himself before his father intervened. Police and emergency services arrived to find the victim had died from her injuries.

The case fell under section 51(1) of the Criminal Law Amendment Act’s minimum sentencing provisions, which typically mandate life imprisonment for domestic violence murders. However, Judge Lever found “substantial and compelling circumstances” to depart from this prescribed sentence. Key mitigating factors included Pitso’s guilty plea, genuine remorse, first-time offender status, the emotionally charged circumstances, and the unpremeditated nature of the crime. The judge noted that Pitso had taken full responsibility for his actions and apologised to the victim’s family.

“The accused has shown remorse which appears to be genuine” Judge Lever stated, while acknowledging that instances of femicide are far too prevalent in the court’s jurisdiction. The victim impact report revealed the devastating effect on the deceased’s family, particularly her children who must now grow up without their mother. The victim’s parents have taken in both the couple’s child and another child from the deceased’s previous relationship, with the grandmother forced to seek temporary employment in Gauteng to support them financially.

Emphasising that gender-based violence is “endemic” and requires strong deterrent sentences, State prosecutor Adv. Engelbrecht had argued for the full life sentence. However, Pitso’s attorney Mr Biyela successfully argued that the combination of mitigating factors warranted a departure from the minimum sentence. Pitso, who had been employed as a general worker earning R150 per day before his arrest, had already served nine months in custody. In addition to the 20-year murder sentence, he received concurrent sentences of two years and one year for the assault charges. The honourable judge also declared Pitso unfit to possess a firearm under the Firearms Control Act.

Sadly, this case is yet another addition to the devastating and seemingly ever-growing tide of domestic and gender-based violence in South Africa and the region. It underscores the urgent need to confront this crisis, as intimate partner violence continues to be a critical social issue affecting families and communities across the continent.

You can read the full S v Pitso sentencing judgement here.

Written by Theo Tembo