Today, 1 200 days after eighteen-year-old Lekesha Marthinus was killed in Tafelsig, Mitchells Plain, the court delivered its verdict. Austin du Plessis has been found not guilty of murder, but guilty of culpable homicide.
While the verdict does not amount to a murder conviction, Action Society welcomes the fact that the court has held the accused criminally accountable for Lekesha’s death.
Lekesha died on 5 November 2022 after du Plessis threw an empty beer bottle at her head while she was holding her nine-month-old baby. She was rushed to hospital but declared dead on arrival. A young mother lost her life as a result of that act. Her child will now grow up without her.
Since Action Society began monitoring the matter in January 2023, the case was postponed at least 21 times before today’s judgment.
For 1 200 days, Lekesha’s family had to return to court again and again. Each postponement prolonged their trauma and reinforced the painful reality that justice in South Africa moves slowly, even in cases involving the death of a young mother.
Action Society monitored this matter as part of its victims’ rights oversight programme in the Western Cape, ensuring transparency and consistent public accountability.
“This verdict confirms that Lekesha’s death was the result of unlawful conduct,” said Kaylynn Palm, Head of Action Society’s Action Centre in the Western Cape. “But 21 postponements and 1 200 days tell a deeper story about systemic delay. Justice must not take this long.”
The legal distinction between murder and culpable homicide is significant. However, what remains unchanged is that a young woman is dead, a child has lost a mother, and a family waited more than three years for accountability.
The matter was postponed to 30 and 31 March 2026 for the completion of the pre-sentencing report. Action Society will continue to monitor the case as it proceeds to sentencing. “Accountability must now be matched with meaningful consequences.”
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