A Western Cape man, Herman Schalk Redelinghuys, has been sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment for the premeditated murder of his half-brother, Jacques Johannes Liebenberg. The Oudtshoorn regional court handed down the sentence after Redelinghuys entered a plea agreement and agreed to testify against two men he allegedly paid to carry out the crime.
Murder and Plea Agreement
Redelinghuys, 24, faced a 25-year sentence but received a reduced term after the court suspended 10 years for five years. The suspension came with conditions, including Redelinghuys’ commitment to testify truthfully against his co-accused. The accused claimed that he had suffered abuse at the hands of Liebenberg, which led him to contract hitmen Abraham Swartbooi and Adrian Isaacs to kill his half-brother.
The Details of the Crime
In his plea, Redelinghuys described how he hired Swartbooi and Isaacs, offering them R750 each to murder Liebenberg. He recounted picking up the two men in Oudtshoorn and driving them to Dysselsdorp. Redelinghuys then misled Liebenberg, telling him they were going for a drive before stopping on Kammanasie Road. There, Swartbooi flagged down the vehicle, struck Liebenberg with a hammer, and stabbed him multiple times.
Redelinghuys left the body at the scene and took the two hitmen with him. The victim, in his 30s, was later found dead.
Family Impact
The prosecutor highlighted the emotional toll the murder had on Liebenberg’s parents and his pregnant girlfriend, who was six months along at the time. The victim’s unborn child will now grow up without a father.
Hitmen’s Trial Pending
The cases of Swartbooi and Isaacs have been separated and postponed. The Oudtshoorn regional court will reconvene on February 17 to continue their trial.
Redelinghuys’ sentence and his agreement to testify have raised strong reactions from the local community.
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