The Democratic Alliance Women’s Network (DAWN) in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) welcomes the verdict and sentencing of the murderer Denver Marimuthu who was found guilty of murdering his wife.
The Durban Magistrate’s Court sentenced Marimuthu for the murder of Roxanne Thanthoni last week. Marimuthu infamously threatened that Thanthoni will be leaving in a body bag.
According to reports, this threat was made days before Thanthoni was killed with a kitchen knife at her home in Tongaat. On the morning of her death, she had been preparing to attend a Sunday church service when she argued with her husband. He then fatally stabbed her multiple times before fleeing their home.
DAWN had hoped for a tougher sentence, however, we accept the court’s decision.
In the last year, we noticed that the Judiciary in KZN is determined to send out a strong message to perpetrators of violent crimes that they will be dealt with severely.
Recent cases we were following had very satisfactory sentencing and we are happy that our work has not been in vain.
- In May 2021, Mahomed Ibrahim was sentenced to 34 years for the murder of 9-year-old Miguel Louw by the Durban High Court.
- Serial rapist Calvin Thabede got 8 life terms plus an additional 36 years for rape in the Madadeni Court in June 2021.
- Xolile Kweshube was given a life sentence for the rape of a sex worker in the Port Shepstone Regional Court, in February this year.
It is pleasing to note that the Judiciary is viewing these crimes in a serious light and is handing down sentences that befit the crimes. This bodes well for the fight against gender-based violence since KZN has the highest rate of these crimes.
The DA in KZN has been consistent when it comes to showing support to victims and their families. However, our work is not done. We will continue to fight this scourge for as long as it continues.