Oudtshoorn mother kills 7-year-old son after 'seeing his father's face'

THE Oudtshoorn Regional Court has sentenced 39-year-old Drezene Jonkerman to an effective 20 years behind bars following her conviction for the murder of her son, as she claimed to have "seen the boy's father's face on him as she washed him".

- MERCURY CORRESPONDENT

In a plea and sentencing agreement with the State, Jonkerman told the court that August 11, 2024, was her birthday, and she was at home in Korhaan Avenue, Oudtshoorn, preparing to go to church.

Her 7-year-old son, Ashwin Jonkerman, was with her when a friend came to her house and they used drugs.

When the friend left, she finished preparing for church and woke up Ashwin.

As she started washing him, she thought about Ashwin's father.

"She claimed that she and the deceased's father had a very bad relationship, and she saw the deceased's father in her mind's eye while washing the deceased and got very angry," said National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila.

"She started strangling him until his body became limp and carried him to the bedroom.

"She left his limp body in the bedroom and went to church.