Johannesburg – A Northern Cape mental health hospital patient attempted to kill his sister and drove off with her car.
The patient, Devon Owies, 32, has been sentenced to 14 years behind bars for attempted murder and the use of a vehicle without consent.
According to Northern Cape National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Mojalefa Senokoatsane, Owies was admitted to hospital as a state patient after he murdered a nurse in Upington.
“At the time of the incident, the accused was out on a pass of leave from the psychiatric hospital and he was staying with his sister. This was also not the first time that the accused was on a such pass of leave. The accused’s sister had taken responsibility for the accused, as she was the one who signed for his leave,” said Senokoatsane.
Owies was arrested and returned to the Northern Cape Mental Health Hospital in Kimberley for observation before being found fit to stand trial.
He pleaded guilty to both charges on September 15, 2022.
He was sentenced to 14 years of direct imprisonment for attempted murder and 4 years of imprisonment for the use of a vehicle without consent. The court ordered that the sentences run concurrently.
Meanwhile in Mpumalanga, 22-year-old Siphamandla Gift Khumalo was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of his biological father, Bheki Eric Khumalo, 47, whom he stabbed to death.
According to NPA spokeswoman Monica Nyuswa, the Khumalo family was living in Mayflower.
The deceased had businesses in Ermelo and Glenmore, and he frequently visited his family.
In his plea, the accused told the court that his relationship with his father soured because he did not support his decision to become a musician. Khumalo’s father wanted him to pursue a career in engineering.
Khumalo left his family home in Mayflower for Ermelo, where his father was doing business.
He waited for his father to arrive, then produced a knife and stabbed him in the neck.
The Star