Farm killings were ‘barbaric’
TEFAN Schutte, who found the bodies of his murdered parents and brother, shook hands with the father of one of their killers saying he empathised with the man’s loss.
He said he had worked for a long time with Joseph Maduna, the father of Zamokuhle, 19, who was sentenced to life imprisonment in the Pietermaritzburg High Court yesterday for orchestrating the murders on the elderly couple’s Richmond farm.
Schutte said he had trusted them both and the son worked for him on weekends and at his parents’ sawmill business during the week.
Maduna junior, Siphesihle Ngubane, 20, and Lindokuhle Khoza, 18, killed Ekard, 76, and Elizabeth, 66, and their son, Lutz, 33 on March 1. The men were also sentenced to 15 years for aggravated robbery and five for being in possession of an unlicensed firearm.
Stefan was supported in court by his brother, Matthias, wife Moonyeen, her mother, Nina Lowe, and friends. They hugged each other after the verdict.
Schutte said he “supposed” the sentencing brought closure. His parents and brother would never be returned by any sentence. He did not expect them to get lower sentences.
“The family is coping like any would. We are taking it one day at a time. We have lots of support.”
SMaduna senior said there was nothing he could say except “sorry to the Schutte family”.
In sentencing, acting Judge Louis Barnard said he was unable to think of a more senseless and cold-blooded offence than that which the men had committed. They planned the attack and the murder.
After killing Schutte in his shed, they went into the main house. Elizabeth was not there so they waited for her to return and open the safe.
She arrived whom she had from the airport.
“He was hoping to celebrate his dad’s birthday the next day when he was viciously attacked and murdered.”
The judge added that one would have thought that after killing Schutte, they would have had time to reflect, but, instead, they mercilessly killed the son in front of his mother.
“This really was a shocking incident where they showed no with Lutz, just fetched mercy at all,” said the judge.
Maduna and Ngubane were both working at the time and had no reason to do what they did, while Khoza was at school.
Judge Barnard said they should not expect to be treated with kid gloves.
“All three of you committed barbaric and despicable crimes. The manner in which the offences were committed was brutal. It leaves one with doubt that there is any hope of rehabilitation.”
The judge also said that society needed to be protected from the three men.
“I have no choice but to find you a danger to society. All three of you acted with inherent wickedness.”
He said he had no doubt the sentences were proportionate to the various offences. Khoza’s youthfulness was offset by the viciousness of the attack.
The judge granted Khoza leave to appeal because he had been under 18 at the time of the offence.