Killer coach gets life
A HOUT Bay basketball coach convicted for raping and murdering one of his young players has been handed down a double life sentence by the Western Cape High Court.
Nearly five years after the disappearance of 12-year-old Sibusiso Dakuse, his former mentor Marvin Minnaar has been handed a combined 58-year sentence for the events leading up to his death.
The Grade 7 pupil from Sentinel Primary School was last seen by his ouma at their home in Imizamo Yethu on 26 February 2020. His family filed a missing person’s report as the community embarked on a frantic search.
Two days after his disappearance his body was discovered by Hout Bay cops in a bush near Manchester Street.
Minnaar was arrested and pleaded not guilty to charges of kidnapping, rape and murder.
During the trial, shocking footage captured by the SAPS provincial Crime Scene Investigation unit revealed that the young boy’s clothes were strewn around among the thick reeds where his naked body was discovered.
A State witness also claimed that Minnaar was absent from practices on the day the laaitie disappeared and claimed that he had even joined the community to search for the child.
National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson, Eric Ntabazalila says: “The court sentenced Minnaar to eight-years direct imprisonment for kidnapping, life imprisonment for rape and life imprisonment for murder.
“It ordered his sentence for kidnapping to run concurrently with the two life sentences.
“It declared him unfit to possess a firearm and unfit to work with children. It ordered his name to be recorded in the National Child Protection Register and the National Sexual Offenders Register.”
Ntabazalila says medical evidence revealed that the laaitie had injuries in the anal area, and wounds around his neck were consistent with being strangled.
He add: “The post-mortem report revealed that he died of strangulation and that the rest of his body had multiple abrasions and a blunt-force injury to his left eye.’
A report by a clinical psychologist found that Minnaar did not realise the extent to which he choked the deceased and that he felt rejected by the deceased. He was also found to have anti-social personality traits.
Western Director of Public Prosecutions, Advocate Nicolette Bell, commended Advocate Nadia Ajam and the investigating officer, Sergeant Mvunelo, for their tenacity in ensuring justice for the deceased, the family, and the broader community of Imizamo Yethu.