'Shockingly lenient' murder sentence for Zuma's former pilot 'cannot be overturned'

schumi

schumi

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A serious injustice appears to have been done by the high court in setting aside a 15-year sentence for murder and imposing a suspended sentence on a former presidential pilot who stabbed a man to death.

But there is little the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) can do to remedy the situation.

In the case, a former pilot to then-president Jacob Zuma, Pule Ramolefi, was convicted for murder by the Alexandra Regional Court. The crime was committed in April 2013.

Ramolefi and his wife were at a car wash when he spotted Sibusiso Buthelezi, a young chemical engineer, with whom his wife had had an affair in the past.

Buthelezi allegedly attacked Ramolefi and in the course of the fight, Ramolefi stabbed Buthelezi twice. The fatal blow was one to the neck.
Ramolefi was sentenced to 15 years' imprisonment. He sought leave to appeal against both his conviction and sentence in the Johannesburg High Court but was granted only leave to appeal the sentence.
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More at: https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/so...ear-sentence-for-murder-cannot-be-overturned/
 
ambroseg1 said:
Everyone seems to be missing this part.
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Good point, looking into the circumstances a bit more...

https://www.sowetanlive.co.za/news/2015-04-24-former-zuma-pilot-can-appeal-against-prison-time/

In April 2013, Ramolefi and his wife were at a car wash when he spotted Sibusiso Buthelezi, a young chemical engineer whom his wife had an affair with in the past.

A pre-sentencing report compiled by private social worker Mosidi Sennelo describes how a scuffle broke out between the two men, seemingly because Buthelezi “did not take kindly to [the] rejection”, and how Ramolefi reached for his pocket knife in self-defence.

On Thursday, Ramolefi’s lawyer, Charles de Beer, said the court erred by not taking into account that the knife's blade was only 4-6cm long, nor that Buthelezi attacked Ramolefi from behind, “viciously and unprovoked”.
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A Murder conviction in this case does seem inappropriate..
 
if your got connections and money, the law is a joke to you,
look how Zuma is running around free after admitting to rape and taking showers afterwards.

same thing here, guy got Murdered, and just got a light sentance because hes good buddies with Zuma.

said it before and Ill say it again,
does not matter what is the truth, its who you know that determines things in this country.
 
eg2505 said:
if your got connections and money, the law is a joke to you,
look how Zuma is running around free after admitting to rape and taking showers afterwards.

same thing here, guy got Murdered, and just got a light sentance because hes good buddies with Zuma.

said it before and Ill say it again,
does not matter what is the truth, its who you know that determines things in this country.
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Did you even read the article?
 
hungrymamba said:
If the story is to be believed .... the guy should not have been convicted in the first place because it looks like self-defense to me.
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Nope.
The appellant’s car was ready to be collected. He left his wife at the cleaning bay and went to pay. Whilst waiting to pay he felt someone touching him on his shoulder and when he looked up to see who it was, he found that it was the deceased. The diseased thereupon punched him in the face without saying anything. The appellant fell down as a result of the force of the punch. The deceased then attacked him whilst the appellant was lying on the ground facing up.

[10] During the course of the struggle with the deceased, whilst both were on the ground, the appellant managed to kick the deceased, as a result of which the deceased moved backwards. The appellant then managed to open his pocket knife and when the deceased attacked him again whilst on the ground the appellant stabbed him. The deceased immediately left the appellant and ran away.

[11] The appellant chased after him up to the robot where he (the deceased) fell and the appellant stabbed him again on the neck.
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http://www.saflii.org/za/cases/ZAGPJHC/2017/340.html

If the deceased had died as a result of the scuffle on the ground when he was attacking the appellant it would have been self defence. However, if you chase after someone and stab them, you cannot claim self-defence.

The court made a ridiculously bad mistake here. What the NPA should do is make an appeal to the constitutional court to get this changed:
In November 2017, the high court imposed a new sentence of five years' imprisonment, wholly suspended for five years. The state was granted special leave to appeal against the new sentence. However, it transpired that the law did not allow the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) to hear an appeal by the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) on a sentence imposed by a high court sitting as a court of appeal.
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Also that judge that imposed the old sentence should be impeached.
 
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konfab said:
Nope.


http://www.saflii.org/za/cases/ZAGPJHC/2017/340.html

If the deceased had died as a result of the scuffle on the ground when he was attacking the appellant it would have been self defence. However, if you chase after someone and stab them, you cannot claim self-defence.

The court made a ridiculously bad mistake here.
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Didn't see that last part, agree - chasing after someone like that can never be self-defence, definitely murder then.
 
hungrymamba said:
If the story is to be believed .... the guy should not have been convicted in the first place because it looks like self-defense to me.
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When you run after someone fleeing and stab them in the neck it's not self-defense.
 
Cray said:
Didn't see that last part, agree - chasing after someone like that can never be self-defence, definitely murder then.
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The blood was upon him.

Must say the whole story doesn't gel for me. Why would a side guy just attack the main man without provocation?
 
R13... said:
The blood was upon him.

Must say the whole story doesn't gel for me. Why would a side guy just attack the main man without provocation?
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Yeah, it seems very odd..
 
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