A 71-year-old South African Pensioner has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for the premeditated murders of her three great-grandchildren, following a case in which the court examined her mental state, the circumstances of the crash and the events leading up to the children’s deaths.
Susana “Sarie” De Villiers was sentenced at the Worcester Regional Court in the Western Cape for the deaths of eight-year-old Caleb Booysen, five-year-old Gradwell Booysen and two-year-old Joshua Booysen. The children died on November 20, 2021, after De Villiers deliberately drove a vehicle off Bainskloof Pass.
The court heard that De Villiers had collected the children from their caregiver while the caregiver attended a wedding. They spent the day swimming and playing at her home. Later, she put them in her vehicle, apparently to return them to their caregiver.
As they prepared to leave, the children cried and begged to stay with her. De Villiers told them to say goodbye to their great-grandfather and reassured them that no one would hurt them again. Instead of driving towards their home, she travelled in the opposite direction.
State Prosecutor Cornelius Prinsloo told the court that De Villiers drove approximately 23 kilometres towards Bainskloof Pass, passing several traffic control points along the way. The prosecution argued that she intended to kill herself and the children by driving off the mountainside.
At the summit, De Villiers reportedly considered stopping to call her husband or continuing towards Ceres. She ultimately drove through a gap in the barriers, sending the vehicle down the mountainside and into a riverbed. She survived the crash, but all three children died from multiple blunt force injuries. De Villiers was wearing a seatbelt, while the children were not restrained.
Evidence presented in court established that she was sober, the vehicle was mechanically sound and visibility was good at the time of the incident. The prosecution also submitted post-mortem reports, an accident reconstruction report and a mechanical assessment of the vehicle to support its case.
The court proceedings examined whether De Villiers’ mental state affected her responsibility for the killings. Before sentencing, she had indicated that she wished to plead guilty, but Prinsloo rejected a part of her plea explanation in which she claimed diminished responsibility. The court entered a plea of not guilty on that disputed issue, while accepting the remaining admissions under Section 220 of South Africa’s Criminal Procedure Act.
In her admissions, De Villiers said her motive had been to spare herself and the children further suffering. During oral testimony in November 2025, she described feeling as though she was not herself when the incident happened. She said that something had switched off and that she was unsure exactly when she made the decision to drive off the pass. She also testified that, at times, she had not believed she was doing anything wrong.
De Villiers was referred to Valkenberg Psychiatric Hospital for a 30-day period of mental observation. A psychiatric panel’s report, compiled in June 2024, found that she was mentally fit, understood that her actions were wrong and was capable of acting in accordance with that understanding. The panel found no evidence of psychosis and described her behaviour as “goal-directed but impulsive”. De Villiers did not challenge the panel’s findings.
Evidence about the children’s family circumstances also formed part of the case. The court heard that the children had previously been removed from their parents because of neglect and substance abuse. They initially lived with De Villiers and her husband for about three months before being placed with a maternal relative. Approximately a week before the fatal incident, their mother and her partner were arrested on charges relating to child neglect.
During the sentencing proceedings, De Villiers described a difficult childhood marked by poverty and said she had attempted suicide three times during adolescence. She also spoke about a motor vehicle accident in January 2020 involving her and her stepdaughter, who later died from burn injuries sustained in the collision. De Villiers testified that she experienced depression after the accident and her stepdaughter’s death, but received limited treatment.
Prinsloo acknowledged her personal hardships and history of depression but argued that these circumstances could not outweigh the deliberate killing of three young children who had been entrusted to her care. He submitted that a substantial prison sentence was necessary, stressing the duty of adults to protect children rather than expose them to harm.
The court sentenced De Villiers to 20 years’ direct imprisonment on each of the three murder counts. However, it ordered the sentences to run concurrently, meaning she will serve an effective total of 20 years in prison.
Eric Ntabazalila, spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority in the Western Cape, commended the prosecution team and investigating officer Warrant Officer Michael Pretorius for their work on the case. He highlighted the importance of examining the accused’s plea explanation, saying that the scrutiny strengthened the State’s case and helped secure justice for the victims.
Ntabazalila said the NPA remained committed to holding perpetrators of violent crime accountable, particularly when the victims are among society’s most vulnerable.
