Parolee disguised as woman kills farmer for cash, gets life in jail
'The accused got out of the vehicle and was dressed in Muslim women's clothing with only his eyes visible. The traffic officers who testified as state witnesses found the injured elderly man in the passenger seat. They noticed blood on the door of the passenger side as well as inside the vehicle. Herandien had been stabbed. They asked him who had stabbed him, and he pointed at the accused, ' said Ntabazalila.
The traffic officers led the vehicle to a roadblock, where the driver was arrested. The stabbed farmer was then declared deceased.
'Police found a knife blade in the vehicle, a makeup kit, a lady's bra, contact lens holders, syringes and black material in a bag. It was evident that the accused wanted to hide his identity,' said Ntabazalila.
Erasmus was convicted of premeditated murder, and the state asked for life, arguing he could not be rehabilitated. 'He was on parole when he committed the murder, and he is currently serving the rest of his previous sentence of 32 years, of which five years are left,' said Ntabazalila.
Previous convictions include: theft (1992);
two counts of attempted murder (1999);
two counts of robbery (1999);
four counts of possession of an illegal firearm and possession of illegal ammunition (1999);
malicious property damage (1999);
assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm (1999);
theft (1999);
escape or attempt to escape from custody (1999); and
reckless and negligent driving (1999).
'The offences were committed in the Eastern Cape, where the accused and three others shot at police in Steytlerville. They fled the scene, and police arrested them in Beaufort-West. Police took them to Correctional Services in Steytlerville. They asked the head of the prison to make a call, assaulted him, took firearms from the safe and escaped from prison. Police arrested them later,' added Ntabazalila.
In her victim impact statement, the farmer's wife said they had been together for 42 years, since the ages of 17 and 19.
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