Media Statement from National Media Centre
Corporate Communication
South African Police Service 

14 August 2014

Pretoria - 14 August 2014. The Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (the Hawks) in the Northern Cape yesterday secured a 76-year sentence against a 17-year-old boy for murdering the Steenkamp family on their farm in Griekwastad. The Northern Cape High Court in Kimberley handed down the sentence.  

The boy who committed these heinous crimes cannot be identified as he is underage. He fatally shot 44-year-old Deon Steenkamp, his wife, 43-year-old Christel, and their 14-year-old daughter, Marthella. The court sentenced him to 20 years' imprisonment for each murder, 12 years' imprisonment for raping Marthella and four years' imprisonment for defeating the ends of justice.

He approached the police after his gruesome attack on the Steenkamp family. He alleged to be a victim of a farm attack, which the police proved to be a lie. He committed the crime himself. "The boy has committed a serious offence and this sentence is a good recipe for him and those who have no respect for the rule of law," said Lieutenant General Anwa Dramat, the National Head of the Hawks.

For enquiries, please contact Capt Paul Ramaloko at 079 514 4476,
082 770 4902 or dpci.comm@saps.gov.za.