Man sentenced for killing his father’s 27-year-old girlfriend in South Africa

A man has been sentenced to eight years imprisonment for strangling and gunning down his father’s girlfriend on their farm in Prieska, Northern Cape, South Africa.

The Kimberley High Court on Friday, October 13, 2023, sentenced and convicted Frans Cornelius Vermeulen, 25, to 12 years for the murder of Sharifa Brown, 27, for which four years are suspended for five years. 

Vermeulen was 17 years old at the time of the incident, when he and his father’s girlfriend, Sharifa Brown, 27, were allegedly involved in an altercation.

“Vermeulen strangled Brown and shot her four times with a.22 rifle, and she died on the scene,” police spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel Sergio Kock, said.

“The incident occurred on May 21, 2016, at around 9 p.m. and Vermeulen was arrested on the same day and later received bail,” Kock said. 

Kock further added that Vermeulen was found guilty in the Kimberley High Court and sentenced on October 12, 2023, to 12 years for the murder, of which four years are suspended for five years.

Meanwhile, Major General Nomana Mtukushe commended Warrant Officer Marshal Bosman and all detectives of Prieska SAPS who assisted with investigations for their hard work and dedication that led to this sentence.

“Gender-based violence and Femicide (GBVF) cannot be tolerated and perpetrators thereof must be brought to justice,” Mtukushe said.