“Why did you hurt her? Why did you take her life? I have no sympathy for you. Do you realise what Anzunette meant to all of us?”
|||Cape Argus - Convicted murderer Moegamat Armien Salie not only killed Anzunette du Plessis, but also ruined the lives of her three-year-old daughter, her fiancé and her mother, the Western Cape High Court has heard.
This was the submission, prosecutor Evadne Kortje made during closing arguments in the high court on Tuesday.
Kortje argued that Salie also ruined the lives of her two children when he robbed and killed Du Plessis inside her Claremont home on October 4 last year.
On Monday, acting Judge Dianne Davis found Salie guilty of premeditated murder and aggravated robbery after he was found in possession of stolen property valued at R43 000 less than an hour after the murder.
In aggravation of sentence, Kortje handed to the court letters from Du Plessis’s mother, Sandra, and from her fiancé, Claude Kruger.
Sandra’s letter was addressed to Salie directly: “I want to tell you how my whole life changed in the blink of an eye… Why did you hurt her? Why did you take her life? I have no sympathy for you. Do you realise what Anzunette meant to all of us? You did not only take her life but all of ours too!!!!”
In a letter to Du Plessis, Kruger told her of all the milestones their three-year-old daughter achieved and promised to keep her engagement ring and everything she owned for their daughter.
In mitigation, Salie’s lawyer, Ken Klopper, argued that there were substantial and compelling circumstances to deviate from the prescribed minimum sentence of life in prison for premeditated murder and 15 years in jail for aggravated robbery.
Klopper said his client left school at a young age, had a difficult childhood, was not an idle member of society as he had worked for his father’s maintenance business for 15 years and was married with two children.
“I ask the court to accept that he has a problem with drugs but never used this as an excuse for committing the offence. I want to argue, despite the gravity of the offence, Mr Salie isn’t trying to minimise his role but was genuinely showing remorse,” Klopper added.
Salie is to be sentenced on Friday.
jade.otto@inl.co.za
Cape Town