Standerton Regional Court sends Capt Brakkies Engelbrecht’s murderer to jail for 15 years
Sanele Fanyana Msimanga (29) was sentenced in the Standerton Regional Court on December 8 to 15 years direct imprisonment for the murder of a former police captain, Johannes Engelbrecht. Engelbrecht, who was widely known as Brakkies, was 61 years old and retired as a policeman when his wife Rentia reported him missing on September 7, …
Sanele Fanyana Msimanga (29) was sentenced in the Standerton Regional Court on December 8 to 15 years direct imprisonment for the murder of a former police captain, Johannes Engelbrecht.
Engelbrecht, who was widely known as Brakkies, was 61 years old and retired as a policeman when his wife Rentia reported him missing on September 7, 2019.
He lived in Standerton at the time and she in Randfontein, but they were regularly in contact. She spoke to her husband at the end of August that year. He planned to send his wife money as usual. She could not reach him again after that phone call.
Rentia opened a missing person’s report in Randfontein.
A little more than 18 months later, Msimanga handed himself over to the Harrismith police on March 12, 2021. He confessed to killing Engelbrecht. He was brought to Standerton where he pointed out to police where he had buried Engelbrecht in a shallow grave.
In another twist of fate, Engelbrecht’s skeletal remains disappeared from the morgue. Police later issued a statement, saying their counterparts from the Department of Health informed them that the bones were mistakenly collected, together with two corpses scheduled to be taken to Newcastle.
Msimanga was formally charged and first appeared in court on March 15, 2021.
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