6 years for steak-knife stabbing that ended an abusive marriage

A WINDHOEK mother of seven schoolchildren was sentenced to a six-year prison term yesterday after she was convicted of murder for stabbing her husband to death in April 2004.

For the family of the late Rudolf Gertze, the stabbing that ended his life on the evening of April 4 2004 was the second such violent incident to claim the life of a close family member in less than four years. On June 29 2000, Jacqueline Afrikaner (28), a cousin of Gertze but who was raised by Gertze’s mother as her own child after Afrikaner’s mother died, was one of the two people killed when Police Constable Stephanus Skeyer went on a shooting rampage at a house in Windhoek North.For that double murder, Skeyer was sentenced to two life terms in mid-October 2003.Less than six months later, Afrikaner’s family stood by the grave of another family member who had died violently in Windhoek.That was Gertze.He was killed at the age of 36.He died from a single stab wound to the chest.That wound was inflicted by his wife, Marihannie Bernadette Gertze, who admitted that she stabbed him with a steak knife at the house of relatives of his in Salem Street in Katutura on the evening of Sunday, April 4 2004.Mrs Gertze (38) referred to the shooting carried out by Skeyer when she testified in her defence as her trial before Magistrate Gert Retief neared its conclusion in the Windhoek Regional Court yesterday.By early April 2004, she and her husband had been separated for some six months.She however had wanted to reconcile with him, she said.She loved him then, and still loves him now – even though she had suffered physical abuse at his hands and she ultimately was responsible for his death, she said.They had six children together, she told the Magistrate.She has another son, now 17 years old, from a previous relationship.They already had three children when they got married in 1996, Mrs Gertze related.On the day before their first wedding anniversary, her husband beat her for the first time, she said.From then on, she was beaten repeatedly over the years that followed – sometimes also in the presence of her husband’s family.After her husband’s sister had been killed by Skeyer in 2000, she said, he threatened that he would kill her in the same way that Skeyer had killed his sister, Mrs Gertze claimed.He also bought a firearm, with which he threatened her on several occasions.By later 2002, after he had threatened that he would kill their six children and himself, she laid a charge against him.On October 19 2003, he moved out of their home.That was three days after Skeyer had been sentenced.Over the close to six months that followed, she struggled to make ends meet without financial support from him.”I loved him, no matter what he did to me,” she said.On the evening of the incident she phoned him to discuss the divorce proceedings he had instituted against her and to ask him to reconsider this step, even if only for the sake of their children.They could not get a clear line on the phone, though, and their son suggested that they drive to his father’s house so that he could talk to his father.Mrs Gertze claimed that she said she was afraid of her husband and his relatives – and decided to take a kitchen knife with her.When they arrived, her husband approached her at the gate.She reached out and got hold of the collar of his shirt, saying she wanted to talk to him.He reacted by grabbing her by the throat and hitting her hard on her stomach, before a cousin of his joined in, also grabbing her by her throat and lifting up her leg, she said.When she heard a female relative of Gertze crying out three times, in Damara-Nama, “f*** her up”, she lashed out with the knife, not knowing who she might hit, she said.”Ogies het my gesteek,” (“Ogies stabbed me.”) she heard her husband say.At that moment she realised she had stabbed him.Gertze denied evidence given by three prosecution witnesses that they heard her saying, after the stabbing, “I’ve finished what I came here for.”Magistrate Retief, noting that Mrs Gertze’s claim of having acted in self-defence had not been raised either earlier in the trial or, according to a Police officer, when she first relayed the events to the Police, rejected her claim.She had the knife ready when she went to talk to her husband, he said.Immediately after the stabbing, she claimed she had achieved what she planned to do, he added.He convicted her of murder.Her oldest child is 17 and her youngest six years old, Mrs Gertze said, pleading with the Magistrate not to send her to jail, for the sake of her children.She would not be able to receive anything less than a prison sentence, the Magistrate told her.Because of an unhappy marriage and a father and mother who could not live in peace together, this was a tragic story that would continue even after yesterday’s sentencing, he remarked.He sentenced Mrs Gertze to 10 years’ imprisonment, of which four years were conditionally suspended.On June 29 2000, Jacqueline Afrikaner (28), a cousin of Gertze but who was raised by Gertze’s mother as her own child after Afrikaner’s mother died, was one of the two people killed when Police Constable Stephanus Skeyer went on a shooting rampage at a house in Windhoek North.For that double murder, Skeyer was sentenced to two life terms in mid-October 2003.Less than six months later, Afrikaner’s family stood by the grave of another family member who had died violently in Windhoek.That was Gertze.He was killed at the age of 36.He died from a single stab wound to the chest.That wound was inflicted by his wife, Marihannie Bernadette Gertze, who admitted that she stabbed him with a steak knife at the house of relatives of his in Salem Street in Katutura on the evening of Sunday, April 4 2004.Mrs Gertze (38) referred to the shooting carried out by Skeyer when she testified in her defence as her trial before Magistrate Gert Retief neared its conclusion in the Windhoek Regional Court yesterday.By early April 2004, she and her husband had been separated for some six months.She however had wanted to reconcile with him, she said.She loved him then, and still loves him now – even though she had suffered physical abuse at his hands and she ultimately was responsible for his death, she said.They had six children together, she told the Magistrate.She has another son, now 17 years old, from a previous relationship.They already had three children when they got married in 1996, Mrs Gertze related.On the day before their first wedding anniversary, her husband beat her for the first time, she said.From then on, she was beaten repeatedly over the years that followed – sometimes also in the presence of her husband’s family.After her husband’s sister had been killed by Skeyer in 2000, she said, he threatened that he would kill her in the same way that Skeyer had killed his sister, Mrs Gertze claimed.He also bought a firearm, with which he threatened her on several occasions.By later 2002, after he had threatened that he would kill their six children and himself, she laid a charge against him.On October 19 2003, he moved out of their home.That was three days after Skeyer had been sentenced.Over the close to six months that followed, she struggled to make ends meet without financial support from him.”I loved him, no matter what he did to me,” she said.On the evening of the incident she phoned him to discuss the divorce proceedings he had instituted against her and to ask him to reconsider this step, even if only for the sake of their children.They could not get a clear line on the phone, though, and their son suggested that they drive to his father’s house so that he could talk to his father.Mrs Gertze claimed that she said she was afraid of her husband and his relatives – and decided to take a kitchen knife with her.When they arrived, her husband approached her at the gate.She reached out and got hold of the collar of his shirt, saying she wanted to talk to him.He reacted by grabbing her by the throat and hitting her hard on her stomach, before a cousin of his joined in, also grabbing her by her throat and lifting up her leg, she said.When she heard a female relative of Gertze crying out three times, in Damara-Nama, “f*** her up”, she lashed out with the knife, not knowing who she might hit, she said.”Ogies het my gesteek,” (“Ogies stabbed me.”) she heard her husband say.At that moment she realised she had stabbed him.Gertze denied evidence given by three prosecution witnesses that they heard her saying, after the stabbing, “I’ve finished what I came here for.”Magistrate Retief, noting that Mrs Gertze’s claim of having acted in self-defence had not been raised either earlier in the trial or, according to a Police officer, when she first relayed the events to the Police, rejected her claim.She had the knife ready when she went to talk to her husband, he said.Immediately after the stabbing, she claimed she had achieved what she planned to do, he added.He convicted her of murder.Her oldest child is 17 and her youngest six years old, Mrs Gertze said, pleading with the Magistrate not to send her to jail, for the sake of her children.She would not be able to receive anything less than a prison sentence, the Magistrate told her.Because of an unhappy marriage and a father and mother who could not live in peace together, this was a tragic story that would continue even after yesterday’s sentencing, he remarked.He sentenced Mrs Gertze to 10 years’ imprisonment, of which four years were conditionally suspended.