Murdered woman's boyfriend gets 20 years

Update

KNYSNA NEWS - Gary van Rensburg, accused of murdering his girlfriend Felicia Oktober last year, was found guilty of murder at the Knysna Regional Court and sentenced on 15 December 2017 to 20 years imprisonment.

The body of the 27-year-old Oktober, who was a Knysna SANParks ranger, was found in a pool of blood in her Diepwalle home’s kitchen on 25 August. She had been stabbed 13 times and her throat slit.

The following day, her boyfriend, the prime suspect, was arrested 70km away in the city of George.

Members of the Diepwalle community, colleagues, family and friends followed the case closely and showed their unwavering support to the family throughout the trial.

Commenting on the sentence, Felicia’s mother Magriet Oktober said this week, “We’re not happy with the sentence, we feel like he got away with it.

"But complaining about it will not bring our daughter back. Now that the case is over we can start to heal.”

SANParks spokesperson Nandi Mgwadlamba said, “We welcome the court’s decision.

"Felicia was loved dearly by her family and colleagues and her parents have been part of the SANParks family for decades.

"Although the court decision will neither bring back our colleague nor help the family to heal quicker, we are relieved that the court process is now complete and the healing process can begin.

"We are still grieving her loss and her team in Diepwalle misses her terribly.”

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ARTICLE & PHOTO: NWABISA PONDOYI, KNYSNA-PLETT HERALD JOURNALIST

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