The Western Cape High Court has sentenced 22-year-old Adrian Hendricks to life behind bars, an effective 25-year term, for the murder of a Hawks Warrant Officer in July last year.
Fifty-year-old Petrus Holtz was fatally stabbed on July 29, 2015, leaving behind a son, daughter and wife.
His wife, Rene Holtz, sat behind the prosecutor with tears streaming down her face as Hendricks was sentenced.
Holtz was travelling on the infamous stretch of road between Somerset West and Khayelitsha, dubbed the N2 Hell Run, when he was attacked.
He was on his way to his Bellville office early in the morning, when his car struck rocks placed on the road. Two of his tyres were punctured and Hendricks stabbed him in the leg, severing an artery, leading to Holtz bleeding to death. His cellphone and GPS were stolen.
A few days before the attack, on July 17, another motorist had fallen victim to the same modus operandi. Jacques Loots was “stabbed in the collarbone, close to the jugular vein” by Hendricks, who stole his phone. Lootz escaped in his car.
Yesterday, Judge Henney sentenced Hendricks to five years for malicious damage to property for this incident, and 10 years for attempted robbery with aggravating circumstances.
For Holtz, Hendricks was sentenced to five years for malicious damage to property, 15 years for robbery with aggravating circumstances, and life for murder.
All the sentences were ordered to run concurrently.
Hendricks showed no emotion as he was sentenced.
Outside court, his sobbing ouma said she had raised Hendricks from the age of five after his parents died.
She said: “He should have told the truth from the beginning.”
Rene Holtz said she was satisfied with the outcome.