Parents who murdered their toddler sentenced to life imprisonment. Photographer: Armand Hough / Independent Newspapers
Parents who murdered their toddler have been sentenced to life imprisonment by the Johannesburg High Court on Friday.
The pair were sentenced following their brutally abusing their two small children and murdering their little daughter, 2-year-old Chane Bezuidenhout.
During the trial the surviving boy, Little D, bravely testified about the abuse.
Women and Men Against Child Abuse (WMACA) expressed their happiness with the sentencing of Belinda and Stefanus Bezuidenhout by Judge Mokate Noko.
The organisation said the two showed no emotion during the sentencing and Stefanus covered his face with his hoodie as they were led back down to the cells.
WMACA founder Miranda Jordan said the prosecutor was satisfied with the outcome, as mothers don’t normally get life sentences.
Jordan said the organisation praised the way the case had been handled by the investigating officer, the prosecutor, Riana Williams, Judge Noko, and all the professionals who had been involved on the forensics side.
Jordan said: “We trust that these sentences are sending a strong message to would-be offenders and to those people standing by, not reporting their observations or suspicions of child abuse.
“We can only hope that Baby B can rest in peace and that her older brother will find healing and find his place in life in a happy and loving home.”
WMACA’s Head of Advocacy and Child Protection Specialist Luke Lamprecht said the organisation, that has been in the child protection field for 30 years, called for urgent reform of the two-tier court system because if this case had remained in the magistrate’s court these two baby killers would probably have never seen a day in jail.
Lamprecht said: “All child abuse cases should be heard in the high court or in specialised courts, specifically geared to handle these cases, with highly trained officials in place, from the investigating officers to the court officials.
“It is blatantly obvious that important cases involving children are getting lost in the maelstrom of poor investigations and the inefficiencies within the magistrate’s court system and devastating the lives of the already traumatised victims.
“We have already informed the media of several of these and are escalating them to the NPA.”
Lamprecht added: “We also have to focus on law enforcement. Too often, when cases are reported, police counter with ‘where’s the evidence?’ but, as Luke Lamprecht has said so often: What a child tells you is evidence, and a good investigator and prosecutor will see it as such.”
The pair sexually abused and raped Chane before killing her on May 11, 2021, at their home in Alberton, south of Johannesburg.
The pathology report by Dr Tinyiko Zelda Nkondo was a horror story that any normal human can’t even imagine.
During the trial, Belinda testified that Stefanus started assaulting her three months after they met and became worse after their two children were born.
Belinda testified that she didn’t open a case or report Stefanus to his family because she feared she would lose her husband’s financial support.
The couple accused each other of abusing Chane.
In the pre-sentencing proceedings, Belinda’s defence attempted to provide an argument in mitigation of sentencing.
Saturday Star
sipho.jack@inl.co.za
Related Topics: