Ex-Ugandan child soldier Francis Kimeze has been jailed for the murder of Danish millionaire Preben Povlsen in Cape Town.
|||Cape Town -
Former Ugandan child soldier Francis Kimeze, 39, convicted of murdering Danish millionaire Preben Povlsen, 71, has been sentenced to 25 years behind bars.
Western Cape High Court Judge Rosheni Allie sentenced Kimeze on Thursday for the “brutal attack” on January 14, 2008.
Judge Allie also sentenced Kimeze to seven years for stealing Povlsen’s Mazda on the day he was killed. The car was used to transport his body after he had been stabbed 48 times inside his Gordon’s Bay home. The sentences are to run concurrently.
Povlsen’s Ugandan-born wife Maria, 34, and her sister Stella Ssengendo, 43, were also charged with the murder but the State failed to prove that they were present when it was committed.
Judge Allie found that the sisters were accessories to murder after the fact.
Maria Povlsen was sentenced to eight years in jail for her role in the murder and her sister to seven years. They were also sentenced to five years each for stealing the car. Their sentences will also run concurrently.
Judge Allie said it was an aggravating factor that Maria Povlsen betrayed her husband’s trust and lied to police and the Danish family, and to her children. She and Povlsen have two children aged 10 and 12 who are living with their Danish relatives.
Judge Allie said that in her sentencing deliberations, she had considered that Maria and Stella had already spent five years in jail as awaiting trial prisoners.
They have not yet given notice of an intention to appeal their conviction and sentences.
jade.otto@inl.co.za
Cape Argus