The perpetrator of Katrina Prins’ rape and murder in the little Northern Cape the village of Steinkopf has been sentenced to life in prison 11 years later.
Derrick Ettiene Cloete, 42, received a sentence at the Springbok Regional Court.
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) stated that the allegations stem from a December 2012 incident.
According to NPA spokesman Mojalefa Senokoatsane, Prins spent the day with Cloete, drinking alcohol with numerous persons at the Koffie Shop.
“The Koffie Shop is an empty building with no doors or windows next to the N7 National Road. It is an empty building where people will sit and drink,” Senokoatsane said.
“Throughout the day, the two were drinking and at some stage, the deceased went to her sister who was staying with her boyfriend at a nearby business called Stein Civils. The sister of the deceased begged her to sleep at her place as she could see that the deceased was too intoxicated,” he said.
“The deceased refused to sleep there, left the premises, and met up with the accused again and that was the last time her sister saw her alive.”
Senokoatsane stated that on the morning of December 30, Prins’ sister began looking for her because she was frightened. Prins was also the mother of an infant.
According to the court, the sister attempted to phone Cloete, but he did not answer.
Hours later, the family learned that Prins’ body was inside the Koffie Shop.
“The police were informed, and they found the naked body of the deceased wrapped in a blanket with her clothes,” Senokoatsane said.
“During their preliminary investigations at the scene, the investigating officer Warrant Officer Barnard noticed footprints, as well as dragging marks. It also seemed like somebody tried to wipe the scene clear with nearby bushes.”
He stated that while Barnard was on the scene, he saw movement in another section of the building, and Cloete was found jumping out of the building and detained on the spot.
During the trial, the NPA stated that Cloete denied involvement in the rape and murder, claiming that he had consensual intercourse with Prins.
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“The accused was arrested on the scene. The shoes of the accused were confiscated, as they resembled the footprints found on the scene. Further investigation revealed through DNA that the accused had sexual intercourse with the deceased,” Senokoatsane said.
“The accused also testified that he did not know what had happened to the victim as he had left him with some other man and that was the last time, he saw her.”
Senokoatsane said Cloete’s version was rejected by the court as false and not reasonably possibly true.
