By Candice Bezuidenhout.
“The life of a human is precious, yet people put a price tag on it for their own personal and financial gain,” High Court Judge Samson Dunywa pointed out prior to sentencing Reinhardt Leach to 25 years imprisonment for the murder of his girlfriend, Vicki Terblanche.
Leach was sentenced in the Eastern Cape High Court in Gqeberha on Friday.
The court found him guilty of murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances, and the unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition, earlier this week.
Leach previously pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit murder, obstruction of justice, and two counts of the unlawful possession of drugs.
In handing down sentence, Dunywa sentenced Leach to 23 years imprisonment for murder, nine years for conspiracy to commit murder, 10 years for robbery with aggravating circumstances, and five years for the unlawful possession of a firearm.
Furthermore, he was sentenced to five months behind bars for the unlawful possession of ammunition, seven years for the obstruction of justice, and 10 months each for the two drug charges.
While the individual sentences totalled 56 years and one month in prison, his sentence will run concurrently, meaning he will only serve an effective 25 years behind bars.
In his sentencing, Dunywa emphasised how the scourge of gender-based violence and femicide had become a serious problem in South Africa, with murderers targeting women and children daily.
“Femicide is becoming a prevalent crime,” with “gender-based violence against women and children reaching alarming proportions in South Africa”, he said.
The judge added that he agreed with the State and defence that there were substantial and compelling circumstances allowing the court to deviate from imposing the maximum sentence of life in prison.
According to Dunywa, Leach showed genuine remorse and repentance for his actions, partly shown through his letter of apology to the court, his family, and Vicki’s family, particularly her minor son.
“The accused pleaded guilty with the intention of not wasting the court’s time and took the court into his confidence. It would be unjust for the court to sentence the accused to life in prison. However, despite these factors, the accused still deserves to be given a lengthy sentence,” Dunywa said.
Leach, who appeared calm after hearing his fate, did not want to comment on his sentence.
A small group of women gathered in the public gallery to show their support for Vicki.
One of the women, Candace Juhl, said they were not family or friends, but had been reading in the media how no one had shown up to support the victim.
She explained how upset they were at Leach’s version, that Vicki was “just some druggie,” meaning that people on the outside probably saw her that way and did not feel the need to show up for her.
“It painted such a bad picture of Vicki, but what about the accused? People made it seem like she deserved to die. But then it was proved in court that they did drug her, and that infuriated me,” Juhl said.
“Her child is now without a mother, and that is not fair. They said in court they drugged her. She was also a person, a woman, and she deserves someone to be here for her. Whether it’s just one or two of us, she’s not here, and we must support her.”
Juhl said they appreciated how the judge had explained his reasons for the sentence, but that “a little bit longer could have been good”.
“Yes, he shows remorse now, but at the time of the crime, you put someone in the boot of your car and drive around and go go-carting. The moment you kill someone and see them lying there, that’s the time to feel remorse, not after three years in jail,” she said.
“It would have been nice if it could have been 30 years.”
The State will now focus on prosecuting Vicki’s estranged husband, Arnold Terblanche, in October this year.
The State alleges that he conspired with Leach to kill Vicki.
Both men were arrested after Vicki’s disappearance in October 2021.
Her body was eventually found in a shallow grave on the outskirts of Gqeberha.
While the two initially appeared together, their trials were separated, meaning Leach’s case continued, while Terblanche will be tried later this year by a different judge.
Terblanche faces the same charges as Leach initially did, excluding those relating to the possession of drugs, a firearm, and ammunition.
Additionally, he faces a charge of conspiracy to defeat the ends of justice. He pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Terblanche was released on R1 million bail in February 2023.