Feelings of remorse have come mostly too late
Panic attack in court a far cry from ‘victory’ celebration after fatally stabbing farmer
Some criminals only feel remorse for their actions at the time of sentencing, or inside the crowded, cold cells in prison.
On Wednesday, the mother of self-confessed killer Xhanti Ndingane stared at the floor of the East London high court, while her son recalled how he and two co-accused had accosted and brutally killed East London farmer Shaun Brett Krull, 48, at his farm in 2019.
Krull’s family was not in court. No guilty verdict will bring him back.
The farmer was described as a kind person who got along with everyone. His family and community were robbed forever by Ndingane’s actions.
The killer pleaded guilty to charges of murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances, unlawful possession of a firearm and unlawful possession of ammunition.
The court heard Ndingane was a first-time offender who had never been on the wrong side of the law in his 38 years.
But on September 19 2019, he and his friends robbed and stabbed Krull twice, leaving him to die at his farm, Mitchell’s Bon.
The men then took Krull’s firearm and ammunition, and tested it in the open veld by shooting into the ground.
They shared an amount of R3,100 and went on a drinking spree, as if they were celebrating a victory.
But it was only in court that Ndingane realised he had to own up to his selfish deed.
The court had to adjourn as he seemed unsure whether to plead guilty or not.
He repeatedly had to be told to speak up. He held his arm above his head, one hand on his waist as he panicked. A court official told him to stop panicking, and be brave.
But Ndingane’s face expressed shock and panic.
At some point he wanted to change his guilty plea. The reality had hit him.
The thought of having to go to prison, and not be around his children and his live-in partner haunted him.
He blamed his friends for involving him in the murder. He pleaded for leniency, and not to be sent to prison for life, when he himself had taken a life.
He killed Krull because he allegedly owed his friends an outstanding payment for work they had done at the farm.
Ndingane’s mother, who looked distressed, said she was relieved he had confessed. She said she did not know how her son, who once had ambitions of being a rugby star, had turned into a threat to society.
Ndingane will be taken to a state psychologist in prison and have the chance to participate in meaningful activities aimed at assisting inmates to change their behaviour.
But criminals must understand — their remorse won’t change what they have done.
Ndingane’s face expressed shock and panic. At some point he wanted to change his guilty plea. The reality had hit him