Pardon Danhire and 34-year-old Freddie Stapelberg appeared in the Palm Ridge Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday. Picture: Alberton Rekord
A 37-year-old Zimbabwean gardener accused of murdering a mother and her child in Randhart, Alberton, has been sentenced to 50 years in jail.
Pardon Danhire and 34-year-old Frederick Stapelberg appeared in the Palm Ridge Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday, where Judge Rian Strydom handed down the ruling.
The judgment comes more than a year after the murders were committed, bringing justice to the Terblanche and Vorster families.
The gardener pleaded guilty to the murders of 32-year-old Nadine Terblanche and her nine-year-old son, Ruandré Vorster.
He was sentenced to 25 years for the murder of Terblanche and 25 years for the murder of Vorster.
During court proceedings, Carol Terblanche watched intently as the man who killed her daughter and grandson pleaded guilty to the double murders and was sentenced.
ALSO READ: Pig farm murder case in Limpopo set for trial in August
National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Phindi Mjonondwane said the sentences will run concurrently.
“The court further ordered that five years of his sentence be suspended on condition that he truthfully testifies against his co-accused Frederick Stapelberg, whose trial is set for 25 March 2025.
“The court deviated from imposing the minimum prescribed sentence of life imprisonment, citing that Danhire co-operated with the state and took responsibility for his actions, thereby showing remorse,” Mjonondwane said.
Stapelberg’s trial was postponed several times after Strydom recommended that he be sent for psychiatric evaluation.
This was after his legal representative, Advocate Solomon Tshivhase, stated that his client was “not mentally well” and would not be able to handle the trial.
The psychiatric report was submitted to the court on 4 February.
Danhire was hired as a gardener by Stapelberg. He was later allegedly contracted by Stapelberg with a promise of R100 000 in payment to kill Nadine and Ruandré.
Their bodies were discovered by a local security company on 27 November 2023, after they were summoned to the scene through a panic button that was pressed by Stapelberg, following an alleged physical altercation with Danhire about the money he was promised after killing the deceased.
The deaths of the mother and child shocked the community.
Following his arrest, Danhire confessed to authorities and cited Stapelberg as the person who hired him to kill Terblanche to allegedly gain access to her assets and money in the event of her death.
“The NPA frowns upon the senselessness killing of women and children and will now focus on the trial against Stapelberg with the aim of ensuring that justice prevails,” Mjonondwane said.
Ruandré was described as a brave little soul who was diagnosed with a form of glandular cancer in 2018 but went on to beat the disease and was declared cancer-free on 28 September 2020.
The pain of Ruandré death continues to haunt his father, Rynart Vorster.
“He prefers to mourn privately, yet it is still a daily struggle for him without Ruandré,” said Elize, his mother. “He loved him very much,” You Magazine reported.
NOW READ: Alexi Bizos sentenced, nine years after assaulting ex-wife
Download our app
