Last week, we saw Henri van Breda being handed down three life terms for the murders of his parents and his brother, as well as the attempted murder of his sister.

But van Breda’s case is not the only one that South Africans have been keeping their eyes on this year – from violent femicides to occult killings, these murder cases have rocked the country.

We’ve picked six murder cases that have shocked South Africans this year, per details from a report by Huffington Post:

Coligny Murder

The time-warped town of Coligny was left reeling after two farmers allegedly killed 16-year-old Matlhomola Moshoeu for stealing sunflower seeds in April 2017. They allegedly pushed him from a moving bakkie. They’re currently on trial, and the details are gruesome:

This week, a witness broke down on the stand … describing how he witnessed [Moshoeu] being pushed from the vehicle. The witness claimed the teenager was bleeding through his mouth, nose and ears when he saw him.

Absolutely tragic, just like the next case …

Hannah Cornelius

The Stellenbosch student was reportedly hijacked and kidnapped, along with her friend, in the early hours of May 27, 2017. Earlier this year, four men accused of Cornelius’ murder appeared in court.

The men are accused of raping, assaulting, and killing Cornelius. She was stabbed several times and her head had been crushed with a rock, Times LIVE reported. Their trial will go ahead after plea and sentencing negotiations fell through, according to News24.

What’s even more bleak about Cornelius’ case is that her mother was found dead on Scarborough beach in March.

Karabo Mokena

Another case of femicide (and definitely not the last on this list), 22-year-old Mokoena [pictured right] was brutally killed and her body burned beyond recognition by her abusive boyfriend, Sandile Mantsoe [pictured left], last year:

Theories abounded that the murder was a ritual killing, and the investigating officer told Times LIVE that 60 percent of Mokoena’s organs were missing when her body was discovered, including her heart.

But the court didn’t buy it. After chilling CCTV footage emerged of Mantsoe dragging a large wheelie bin containing Mokoena’s corpse before he disposed of it. He was sentenced to 32 years in prison.

The next case was also initially seen as ritualistic …

Krugersdorp Murders

It’s one thing when there’s a single killer on the loose, but it’s a whole ‘nother level of insane when there’s a whole family involved:

The so-called “Steyn gang” gripped South Africa’s attention with their strange tattoos of crosses, and their pictures painted like goths. The “Krugersdorp murders” were initially thought to be the work of a serial killer, or occult killings, until it emerged in court this year that they were committed for little more than money and a grudge.

The five members of the gang killed 10 people in total, mostly for money, and sometimes because they followed a rival church leader. According to Times Live, Le Roux Steyn, one of the killers, entered a plea bargain with the state and pleaded guilty to 18 counts, including murder, robbery and racketeering.

His mother, Marinda, also pleaded guilty, and received 11 life sentences for the murders, plus 115 years for other crimes related to the murders, including fraud and robbery.

As they say, a family that kills together, gets imprisoned together. Something like that.

Siam Lee

Eerily similar to Mokoena, this Durban woman who allegedly worked in a brothel with her mother also met a terrible fate:

The charred remains of 20-year-old Siam Lee’s body were found in a sugar cane plantation two days after she was reported missing in January this year. It was initially thought she had been abducted by a spurned lover.

And speaking of spurned lovers …

Stella School Double Murders

Two Grade 11 pupils [Sharnelle Hough and Marna Engebrecht, pictured left], were found hanged in their school hostel in the small farming town of Stella in the North West in May this year. According to News24, the girls’ murders were made to look like suicides by hanging, but autopsies showed that they were strangled to death.

Xander Byslma, Hough’s ex-boyfriend with a penchant for guns and hunting, reportedly began sending threatening messages to the pair after Hough ended their year-long relationship a few weeks back. He then was arrested by the police for their murders and was remanded to August 6.

We would love to think those murders are as shocking as we’ll see during the rest of the year, but sadly we all know that won’t be the case.

[source:huffingtonpost]