Luyanda Botha, the man who raped and murdered University of Cape Town student Uyinene Mrwetyana, has been handed three life sentences.
The Post Office worker was also sentenced to five years in prison on a charge of defeating the ends of justice.
The 42-year-old was sentenced in the Western Cape High Court on Friday after he pleaded guilty to raping and killing the 19-year-old in August.
Botha made a confession and pointed out where he dumped the body after being arrested.
His statement, parts of which were read out in court, said: “I am liable for my actions. I intended to rape and kill.”
Judge Gayaat Salie-Hlophe described the murder as “callous” and “vicious”, adding that Uyinene had been “cut down in the prime of her life”.
Botha raped and killed the student at the Clareinch Post Office in Claremont on 24 August and then burnt and buried her body.
The case triggered mass protests against the rampant violence against women in South Africa.
Uyinene’s grieving family welcomed the sentence, saying that even though it would not bring the beautiful young woman back to them, they accept the court’s decision, reports Weekend Argus.
Murdered University of Cape Town student Uyinene Mrwetyana.
“Nene’s murder started a movement in South Africa to end gender-based violence,” said her uncle Vuyani Mrwetyana.
“We have no sympathy for this man. We believe he has done this before.
“We also believe that he only confessed because the police had such a good case against him and not because he suddenly became a good person.”
The family also had praise for the police and prosecution team for the speed with which the trial was concluded.
It took just under three months for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) to finalise the murder and rape trial and the Director of Public Prosecutions in the Western Cape, Rodney de Kock, has committed his office to speedily solving such cases.
Uyinene had gone to the Post Office to collect a parcel of clothes she had ordered online.
Botha hit her with a blunt object, “deliberately targeting her head”, the court heard.
After raping and murdering her, he went to a nearby bar where he had drinks and returned to the Post Office the next day to dispose of the body.
He dumped Uyinene’s body in an open field in Lingelethu-West, Khayelitsha, and set it alight in an attempt to hide evidence.
The court also heard Botha had a previous conviction for robbery for which he had been given an eight-year sentence in 1999.
Botha is married but is estranged from his wife.
Judge Salie-Hlophe said the killer will not be eligible for parole until he has served at least 25 years behind bars.