The High Court in South Africa, sitting at the Vredendal Magistrates Court, has sentenced 38-year-old Calvin Cloete to two life terms along with 31 years of direct imprisonment for the r*pe and murder of his ex-girlfriend, Carmen Gouws, aged 21.
On October 7, 2023, Cloete attacked Gouws with an axe and r*ped her. Her body was discovered by children in a field at Flentersvlei Farm early the next morning.
During the sentencing on October 29, 2024, Cloete received life imprisonment for both r*pe and murder, 13 years for attempted murder, and five years for kidnapping. He will be eligible for parole only after serving a minimum of 25 years.
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) reported that Cloete was charged with attempted murder, r*pe, and kidnapping. He pleaded guilty to all charges under Section 112(2) of Act 51 of 1977 but denied that the murder was premeditated.
During cross-examination, Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions Adv. Louise Freister-Sampson asked Cloete if he realized that dragging Gouws out of the house with an axe meant he could kill her, to which he confirmed he did.
Cloete recounted that he became angry after Gouws ignored him when he asked for two beer bottles while she was with friends. He hit her on the head with a beer bottle, threatened her with a panga, and ultimately forced her to accompany him while physically assaulting her.
After taking Gouws to a secluded area, he r*ped her while covering her mouth to prevent her from screaming before abandoning her. Their relationship, marked by gender-based violence, began when she was just 13 and Cloete was 29, becoming intimate when she turned 15. He claimed that on the day of the murder, they had a date, but she was with another man.
Following their encounter, she threatened to report him for r*pe, which he claimed would land him in jail. Cloete violently killed Gouws on her 21st birthday, inflicting multiple injuries, and stomped on her body, leaving imprints of his shoes. Although he felt guilty and intended to turn himself in, he initially avoided the police station to attend to gang-related business.
Cloete has a lengthy criminal record, including multiple counts of property damage and assault. The second attempted murder charge stemmed from an incident where he stabbed Isak Booi in the neck over a trivial matter. He admitted that as a member of the 27s gang, he carried a knife at all times and would continue to do so even if released.
During the sentencing, Adv. Freister-Sampson highlighted Cloete as a representation of toxic masculinity, arguing that Gouws had been groomed into a relationship with him. She asserted that if he could not have her, no one else could.
Judge Slingers sentenced Cloete to life imprisonment for Gouws’ murder, life for her r*pe, and additional sentences for attempted murder and kidnapping, with most running concurrently.
Adv. Nicolette Bell, Western Cape Director of Public Prosecutions, expressed her shock at the extent of gender-based violence that led to Gouws’ death and praised the investigative and prosecutorial efforts that culminated in the successful prosecution of this case.
