A South African man, Jerome Windvogel, has been sentenced to life imprisonment by the Worcester Regional Court in Western Cape after being convicted of the brutal murder of his ex-girlfriend, Nelnisha Kortjie.
According to the victim’s mother and sister, Windvogel laughed while stabbing Kortjie 39 times.
Windvogel, a known member of the 28s gang, had a history of violent crimes, with prior convictions spanning from 2006 to 2018.
On February 17, 2023, he attacked Kortjie after she failed to respond to his text messages. She was on her way to the bus stop in Bonnievale when he confronted her.
“He called her, but she did not respond. He then chased after her as she turned to go home, pulled out a knife, and stabbed her in the face, neck, upper body, lower body, arms, and legs,” said Eric Ntabazalila, spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) in the Western Cape.
Kortjie’s mother attempted to intervene, but Windvogel lunged at her before pinning Kortjie down and continuing the attack. The 36-year-old victim died at the scene.
Community members later apprehended Windvogel, leading to his arrest that same morning.
During the trial, State prosecutor Elton Willmse revealed that this was Windvogel’s fifth violent offence, committed before the suspension period of a previous case had expired.
Willmse argued that Windvogel had a pattern of violent behavior and refused to accept the end of his relationship with Kortjie. “He admitted to struggling with anger control, yet he still armed himself with a knife,” he stated.
The court also noted that Windvogel showed no regard for the child he shared with Kortjie, as well as her two other children.
Western Cape Director of Public Prosecutions, Advocate Nicolette Bell, condemned the brutality of the crime and reaffirmed the NPA’s commitment to combating gender-based violence and femicide.
