The Middelburg Division of the High Court has convicted and sentenced 46-year-old Poyisa Gilbert Voyiya from Klarinet to life imprisonment for the premeditated murder of his wife, Nelly Coldetia Voyiya (36).

At the time of the incident, the couple—who were legally married and shared a 12-year-old child—were undergoing divorce proceedings.

On April 19, 2022, the victim was driving in Emalahleni when the accused began following her. During the pursuit, he forced her to crash into a streetlight. Nelly attempted to flee the scene on foot, but Voyiya chased her down and brutally stabbed her multiple times in the upper body.

After the attack, Voyiya fled to Standerton, where he confessed the murder to his cousin. His cousin immediately took him to the police, where he was arrested.

The victim was rushed to a nearby hospital but succumbed to her injuries. A postmortem later confirmed her cause of death as multiple sharp-force injuries.

In court, the accused pleaded guilty but claimed mental instability at the time of the crime. However, psychiatric evaluations confirmed that he was mentally fit to stand trial.

Senior State Advocate Bakedi Maoke argued that the guilty plea did not lessen the seriousness of the crime. She highlighted the ongoing crisis of gender-based violence and femicide in South Africa and stressed the emotional and psychological impact on the couple’s 12-year-old child, who is now left without a mother.

Advocate Maoke urged the court to impose the minimum prescribed sentence of life imprisonment. The court agreed, citing the senseless brutality of the crime. Voyiya was also declared unfit to possess a firearm.