Winnie Rust’s murderers sentenced to life
FAMILY of murdered Wellington author Winnie Rust said they can now begin getting some sort of closure after the two men convicted of her murder were sentenced to life imprisonment.
Nigel Plaatjies, 20, and his uncle, Johannes Plaatjies, 36, got an additional 32 years and 30 years respectively for robbery with aggravating circumstances, theft, arson and fraud. The two relatives had on May 11 last year gone to the Rust’s Uitsig home where they assaulted and murdered her.
They stole her ring, laptop and banks cards. Nigel, who was financially sponsored by Rust, and Johannes were spotted shopping a few hours after the murder. They used her bank cards to pay for their purchases.
Yesterday Western Cape High Court Judge Elize Steyn said Rust was vulnerable and elderly. “The crime was senseless, barbaric and brutal,” she said.
She said Rust died in the hands of the person whose life she was trying to improve. At the time of her murder, Rust was helping Nigel get a driver’s license to enable him to join the SAPS. Steyn said Nigel had admitted to planning the robbery with Johannes. She said he was in a position of trust.
“The motive must have changed when the deceased saw them. She must have told them that she would report them, and that could have motivated them to kill her. There is no place for such criminality in society. There is a countrywide outcry about murder and other violent crimes which have shown a scourge,” Steyn said.
Steyn disputed Nigel’s allegations of being influenced by his uncle.
“Nigel was in a position of trust. He was like family to the deceased. He knew the house well. On the day of the murder, he was the one who called Johannes the most. He was the one who withdrew the maximum amount on her bank account using her card. He was relaxed when going on a shopping spree,” she said.
Helena Reid, Rust’s daughter, said although the family would never know exactly what had happened, they did believe in what she was trying to achieve.
“We are in the process of establishing the Winnie Rust Foundation which will perpetuate the work that she started,” she said.