Action Society welcomes the conviction and effective 20-year prison sentence handed down today to Charlton Koopman for the brutal murder of 27-year-old Joshlin Marthinus. Koopman pleaded guilty to killing Joshlin on 15 September 2024 after luring her to his home and suffocating her with a plastic bag following a heated argument.
“This sentence is a victory for justice, but it is also a devastating reminder of how dangerous intimate relationships can become for women in South Africa,” says Kaylynn Palm, Head of Action Society’s Action Centre in the Western Cape. “Joshlin’s murder is not an isolated act of rage. It is one of countless tragedies rooted in control, entitlement and violence that plague our society daily. Justice for one family must become justice for many.”
The Marthinus family was very emotional after the proceedings. While they believe the sentence is just, they expressed deep sadness for Joshlin’s two young children, who must now face life without a mother and without a father. “We are thankful that justice was served, but our hearts break for the children who will grow up without both their parents,” the family said.
According to the South African Medical Research Council, intimate partner femicides now account for more than 60 percent of all murders of women in South Africa, one of the highest rates in the world. The HSRC’s 2024 National Gender-Based Violence Study further shows that one in three South African women aged 18 or older has experienced physical violence, most often at the hands of someone they know.
“These are not numbers. They are women like Joshlin, daughters, mothers and sisters whose lives are stolen by the people they should have been able to trust,” says Palm. “Every case like this underlines that the government’s response to gender-based violence remains painfully inadequate. Too many victims still face a justice system that fails them, too many abusers act with impunity, and too few survivors receive protection before it is too late.”
Action Society commends the investigators, prosecutors and the court for securing this conviction. But the organisation warns that justice cannot depend on luck or public attention. South Africa needs consistent, competent policing, better enforcement of protection orders and swift prosecution of all gender-based violence cases.
“Until we dismantle the culture that normalises violence and start treating intimate partner abuse as the national emergency it is, these killings will continue,” says Palm. “Every South African has a role to play, to speak up, to intervene and to demand accountability. Joshlin’s death must not be another statistic; it must be a turning point.”
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