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IN THE HIGH COURT OF SOUTH AFRICA (BOPHUTHATSWANA PROVINCIAL DIVISION) CA NO.  129/05 In the matter between:- SAMSON TAUNYANE Appellant and THE STATE Respondent FULL BENCH APPEAL HENDRICK J, GURA J & TLHAPI AJ MAFIKENG DATE OF HEARING : 09 September 2005 DATE OF JUDGMENT : 24 November 2005 COUNSEL FOR THE APPELLANT : Adv. C. Zwiegelaar COUNSEL FOR THE STATE : Adv. G.S. Maema                                                                                                               JUDGMENT                                                                                                               GURA J:

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Page 1: IN THE HIGH COURT OF SOUTH AFRICA (BOPHUTHATSWANA ... · IN THE HIGH COURT OF SOUTH AFRICA (BOPHUTHATSWANA PROVINCIAL DIVISION) CA NO. 129/05 In the matter between: SAMSON TAUNYANE

IN THE HIGH COURT OF SOUTH AFRICA

(BOPHUTHATSWANA PROVINCIAL DIVISION)

CA NO.  129/05

In the matter between:­

SAMSON TAUNYANE Appellant

and

THE STATE Respondent

FULL BENCH APPEAL

HENDRICK J, GURA J & TLHAPI AJ

MAFIKENG

DATE OF HEARING : 09 September 2005 

DATE OF JUDGMENT : 24 November 2005

COUNSEL FOR THE APPELLANT : Adv. C. Zwiegelaar

COUNSEL FOR THE STATE : Adv. G.S. Maema

                                                                                                                                    

JUDGMENT

                                                                                                                                    

GURA J:

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Introduction

[1] I am looking forward to a day, on this planet, when all parties 

to a marriage or love relationship, will remain faithful to each 

other.   When that day does dawn, then cases such as the 

present   one   will   be   rare   in   courts   of   law.     This   matter 

revolves around the rails of a love triangle. 

[2] On   14   March   2000,   before   my   brother   Khumalo   J,   the 

appellant,   hereinafter   referred   to   as   the   accused,   was 

convicted of murder, on his plea of guilty and sentenced to 

thirty five (35) years imprisonment of which fifteen (15) years 

imprisonment   were   suspended   on   appropriate   conditions. 

The present appeal is directed against sentence.

Factual Background

[3] During 1980 the accused fell in love with Josephine Mothupi 

(“Mrs   Taunyane”)   and   in   1983   they   got   married   to   each 

other.   The marriage was blessed with two children, a girl 

and a boy, born 1984 and 1987 respectively.   The accused 

was a member of  the defence force whilst  his wife was a 

member of   the police  force.    Their  common home was at 

Motlhabeng where they lived harmoniously.

[4] Mrs   Taunyane   was   a   captain   by   rank   and   a   station 

commissioner   of   Mafikeng   Police   Station.     Although   she 

worked primarily day shifts, but time and again she visited 

the police station at night.   On these visits during the night, 

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the accused would accompany his dear wife as a token of 

love and moral support.

[5] Every morning the children left first for school.  Then followed 

the defence  force bus which  ferried  the accused  to  work. 

Mrs Taunyane was always the last to leave.  The deceased 

in  this  case was Mrs Taunyane’s colleague and he would 

often fetch her from her house with his car to go to work.  He 

was a captain .

[6] A   Wednesday   towards   the   end   of   1996   is   a   day   the 

Taunyane   family  will   not   like   to   remember.    Normally,  on 

Wednesdays, it was a sports day at the defence force.   As 

he was waiting  for  his  bus at   the bus stop,     the accused 

realised   that  he  had   forgotten  his   tracksuit   at  home.    He 

walked back to fetch it, unbeknown to him that he was in a 

for a big surprise. 

[7] The deceased’s car was parked inside his (accused’s) yard. 

This  was  nothing  new because  he  normally   parked   there 

when he came to fetch Mrs Taunyane.  The sitting room door 

was   not   locked.     He   entered   to   find   his   wife   and   the 

deceased   in   the  main  bedroom,  on   the  bed,  both  naked, 

making  love.    The accused was angry  as a   result  of   this 

discovery but he managed to control himself.    He  just   left 

without a word and without  taking the tracksuit.   He hitch­ 

hiked to work.

[8] When he arrived at the military base, he complained to the 

Chaplain who then advised him to report to his parents.  He 

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could not work that day because of grief and shock.  He was 

consequently   released   from   work.     He   reported   to   his 

mother.   In the evening, he discussed the incident with his 

wife.   She apologised and he forgave her.   Peace prevailed 

once more in their family.

[9] In 1997, whilst he was waiting at the bus stop, he saw the 

deceased’s car passing.  He became suspicious and walked 

back to his house where he found the deceased’s car, this 

time parked outside the yard.   Fortunately, the kitchen door 

was not locked.  He found the deceased seated on his bed in 

the main bedroom.  His wife was just from the bathroom and 

she was busy smearing her body with cream.  The deceased 

then told Mrs Taunyane that it was late and they should go. 

The accused wanted to fight him but he was sure that he 

was   going   to   loose   the   fight   as   he   was   afraid   of   the 

deceased.  Again the accused left without a word.

[10] This last event dealt a fatal blow to the love and harmony 

which   prevailed   between   the   accused   and   his   wife. 

However, they continued to stay together.  She started to do 

more of  special  duties after  working hours.    This  included 

weekends.  Subsequently, he realised that the alleged police 

special duties after working hours and over weekends, were 

no police special duties at all but  rather special duties in kind 

at the deceased’s house, in the deceased’s bedroom.

[11] He confronted  his  wife  about  her  movements  and  he  got 

what he did not bargain for when she told him that she could 

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not break­up her love affair with the deceased who was the 

father of her children.   Up to that stage, the accused knew 

that his wife’s two children were his natural  children.   Mrs 

Taunyane, however, brought one child into the marriage who 

is not the accused’s natural child.

[12] Subsequent to that, he was arrested about twice, on false 

allegations   of   assault   by   his   wife.     In   August   1998   they 

divorced.     He   left   his   former   wife   and   children   in   their 

common home and went to stay somewhere.  On Christmas 

day that very same year he went to his former house to find 

the accused busy drinking  liquor.    He asked him what  he 

wanted   there  whereupon   the  deceased   told  him   that  Mrs 

Taunyane was no longer his wife.   A fight ensued between 

the two but the accused ran away.

[13] In   January   1999   Mrs   Taunyane   applied   for   a   domestic 

violence  order   to   restrain   the  accused   from  troubling  her. 

This application was however refused by the prosecutor.  In 

February 1999 she and her children had moved to stay   at 

Montshiwa.   He went  there  in  order   to get  his post.    The 

deceased found him there and hit him with a clap.  He left.

[14] On 15 March 1999 the accused underwent surgery on his 

knee where a patella was removed.   On 20 March 1999, at 

Game Shopping Centre, he saw one of his children in a car. 

He went to that car and asked the child whose car it was.  He 

was told that  it  belonged to the deceased.   The deceased 

subsequently   emerged,   drove   off   suddenly,   causing   the 

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accused to fall down on his ailing knee.   This hurt him very 

much because he said he still “loved my wife as well as my 

children and I did not want to be separated from them”.  This 

incident occurred around 12h00.  He became so furious with 

the deceased that he decided that the time had come to deal 

with him.

[15] In the evening of that very same day at about 23h00, he took his loaded firearm and proceeded to the deceased’s house at Riviera Park.  He found him in the bathroom busy bathing with his former wife.  Through an ajar window, he fired several shots to the deceased, fatally wounding him.

The Submissions

[16] On appeal, counsel for the accused criticised the trial judge 

for paying lip­service to the factual background of the case, 

especially the emotional condition of the accused at the time 

of the killing.  It was argued that the accused was subjected, 

not   only   to   severe   provocation   but   also   to   a   feeling   of 

“suspicion, anxiety, frustration, distress, pain, humiliation and 

resentment”.     Apart   from   the   aforesaid,   (so   runs   the 

argument)  the accused had to endure the “humiliation and 

pain   of   being   belittled,   insulted,   threatened,   intimidated, 

assaulted   and   detained”   by   the   deceased   on   false 

allegations by Mrs Taunyane.

The Law

[17] This court, as a court of appeal will not lightly interfere with 

the discretion of the trial court in regard to sentence.  There 

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are two grounds upon which this court may interfere:­

 

(a)    Where there is a misdirection on the part of the trial 

court and/or,

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(b) Where   there   is   a   glaring   disparity   between   the 

sentence imposed and the one which this court would 

have imposed (S v Anderson 1964 (3) SA 494 (A) at 

495; S v Malgas 2001 (1) SACR 469 (SCA) at 478 D ­ 

H)

[18] Our courts have consistently held that where death occurs 

because of   jealousy or anger as between lovers,  this  is a 

crime of passion due to the emotional condition in which the 

guilty party finds himself (herself).  Depending on the facts of 

each case, such conflict situation gives rise to a mitigating 

factor.   See S v Meyer 1981 (3) SA 11 (A) at 16 G where it 

was said that:­ 

“ń   Mens   het   in   die   onderhawige   geval   te   doen  met   ń verhoudingprobleem van twee persone,   ʼn verhouding wat   aanleiding   kon   gee   tot   emosionele   konflikte   en uiteindelik tot ń gewelddadige reaksie.  In hierdie soort van saak ……. is die motief vir die dood te vinde …….. in ń geestelike konfliksituasie”.  

A   death   sentence   was   substituted   with   eight   years 

imprisonment on appeal.

[19] The decision in S v Meyer, supra, was applied in S v Shoba 

1982  (1) SA 36 (AA).   At page  41A of the judgment  Botha 

AJA posed a question:­

      “Waarom   vermoor   ń   minnaar   sy   minnares?     Volgens 

algemene menslike ervaring gebeur dit meestal as gevolg van 

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ń   emosionele   konfliksituasie   van   die   aard   wat   deur   die 

HOOFREGTER bespreek is in S v Meyer 1981 (3) SA 11 

(A) te 16G – 17B.   Dit is natuurlik nie noodwendig altyd 

so nie,  maar die blote bestaan van ʼn  liefdeverhouding 

bevat   al   klaar   ń   inherente   waarskynlikheid   wat   in 

daardie rigting dui,  en dit  moes die verhoorhof op sy 

hoede   geplaas   het   om   die   omstandighede   van   die 

aanranding van naderby te beskou”.  

The   Appeal   Court   set   aside   the   death   sentence   and 

substituted  it  with a term of  imprisonment of  twelve years. 

This decision was quoted with approval   in  S v Rammutla 

1992 (1) SACR 564 (BA).   In the latter case, the accused 

stayed with his lover for more than a year.   A week before 

the murder, she packed her things,  left   the accused to go 

and stay with her aunts.    The accused arrived where she 

was staying and the new boyfriend of the deceased hit him 

with an iron rod on the mouth as a result of which he bled. 

The accused instead hit his lover to death with an iron rod. 

The   death   sentence   was   substituted   with   twelve   years 

imprisonment on appeal.

[20] The present case differs from S v Meyer, S v Shoba and S 

v   Rammutla,  supra,  in   that   the   deceased   was   not   the 

accused’s  spouse  or   lover  or  his   former  spouse  or   lover. 

However,  such a situation was considered  in  S v Khwela 

2001   (1)   SACR   546   (NPD)  where   it   was   held   that   the 

emotional conflict situation and consequently the emotional 

disturbance that may result from a broken love relationship, 

may well have a bearing upon the state of mind of the injured 

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party who kills  his ex­lover’s new  lover.     It   is   important   to 

note,  however,  that   in Khwela’s case,  the deceased never 

contributed   to   the   break   down   of   the   love   relationship 

between the accused and his wife.  The deceased fell in love 

with that lady after her marriage with the accused had hit the 

rocks.  He was sentenced to twenty two years imprisonment.

The present case

[21] The deceased was the cause of the irretrievable break down 

of the marriage between the accused and his wife.  He was 

cheeky and spiteful.  Despite the fact that he knew that Mrs 

Taunyane  was  married,  he   insisted  on  visiting  her  at  her 

house in defiance of her husband (the accused).   He must 

have   realised   that   the  accused   was  afraid   of   him.    After 

causing the collapse of this marriage, he moved in to stay 

with Mrs Taunyane at her house; the  former house of  the 

accused.  The conduct of the deceased, clearly, is that of a 

man who authored his own misfortune.

[22] In  his   judgment  on   sentence,  Khumalo   J,   considered   the 

incidence  of   crime   in   this   country  and   the  proliferation  of 

firearms, the circumstances surrounding the commission of 

the   crime,   including   the   fact   that   the   deceased   was   the 

source of all  evil   in  the accused’s house, the fact  that the 

accused pleaded guilty as well as the anger suffered at the 

Game Centre on the day of the killing.   The trial Judge was 

convinced   that  under   the  circumstances,   imprisonment   for 

life would be unjust (Section 51 (3) (a) of Act 105 of 1997). 

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The trial court decided, in its own wisdom, that a lengthy type 

of custodial sentence was called for.

[23] I have great sympathy for the accused.  Firstly, because his 

marriage of fifteen years broke up because of the deceased; 

secondly, because he has to serve a jail term for this crime. 

However,  it  appears that  the accused never accepted that 

Mrs  Taunyane was no  longer  his  wife.    He knew  that  he 

would not be welcomed at her residence because of the bad 

blood between  them.    The divorce action was  finalised  in 

August 1998.  On Christmas day of that year he went to his 

former house.  Subsequent to that he went to Montshiwa to 

a   house   where   his   former   wife,   her   children   and   the 

deceased were staying.  Then at Game Centre he went to a 

car   in   which   his   child   was.     He   knew   or   foresaw   that 

whenever   he   went   to   the   deceased,   there   would   be   no 

peace.     It   is   rather   with   an   air   of   disbelief   to   hear   the 

accused, seven months after his divorce, saying that he still “loved   my   wife   as   well   as   my   children   and   I   did   not   want   to   be 

separated  with   them”.    The costly  mistake he made,  was  to 

regard   Mrs   Taunyane   as   his   wife   even   months   after   the 

divorce.

[24] The killing of the deceased was very carefully planned and 

clinically   executed  with  military  precision.     In  my  view,   in 

crimes   of   passion   such   as   the   present,   we   must   guard 

against an Open­Sesame approach, that where the killing is 

between lovers or spouses then the accused must always be 

treated  leniently.     In   this   regard  I  endorse  the  remarks of 

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Niles – Dunér J in S v Khwela, supra, at 548 I to 549 C:­ 

“Whilst the facts of a particular case may be such as 

to result in a diminution of his blameworthiness, I am 

of the view that the Court should be careful to guard 

against   the   perpetuation   of   the   oft­held 

misperception that  in every case where there is a 

killing,   consequent   upon   a   break­up   of   a   love 

relationship,   of   an   ex­lover   or   the   ex­lover’s   new 

lover, the very existence of such a relationship alone 

is sufficient for the perpetrator to be regarded in so 

sympathetic a light as to justify the imposition of a 

sentence upon him markedly more lenient than that 

which would be imposed had the love relationship 

not existed and had there been some other motive 

for   the  killing   than  one  connected  with   such   love 

relationship.     The   facts   of   each   case   should   be 

considered carefully, in order to determine whether 

such mitigating circumstances are  indeed present, 

and   if   so,   the   extent   to   which   such   mitigating 

circumstances should  influence the severity  of   the 

sentence to be imposed”.

[25] The accused had sufficient time to cool down from August 

1998 up to March 1999.  He had enough time to cool down 

from 12h00 to 23h00 on the day of this incident.   His moral 

blameworthiness  was   therefore  not   tainted  as  at   the   time 

when he pumped several bullets into the deceased’s upper 

body.  He had direct intent to kill.  His act at that time seems 

to have been directed towards revenge; revenge over a sin 

which was committed more than six months ago.

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Page 13: IN THE HIGH COURT OF SOUTH AFRICA (BOPHUTHATSWANA ... · IN THE HIGH COURT OF SOUTH AFRICA (BOPHUTHATSWANA PROVINCIAL DIVISION) CA NO. 129/05 In the matter between: SAMSON TAUNYANE

 

[26] For the above mentioned reasons, I am of the view that the 

appeal   must   be   dismissed.   Consequently,   I   make   the 

following order:­

“The appeal is dismissed”.

                                                

SAMKELO GURA

JUDGE OF THE HIGH COURT

I agree

                                                

R.D. HENDRICKS 

JUDGE OF THE HIGH COURT

I agree

                                                

V.V. TLHAPI

ACTING JUDGE OF THE HIGH COURT

ATTORNEYS FOR THE APPELLANT: Groenewald Attorneys

C/O Herman Scholtz4 Shasons Centre

Shippard StreetMAFIKENG

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Page 14: IN THE HIGH COURT OF SOUTH AFRICA (BOPHUTHATSWANA ... · IN THE HIGH COURT OF SOUTH AFRICA (BOPHUTHATSWANA PROVINCIAL DIVISION) CA NO. 129/05 In the matter between: SAMSON TAUNYANE

 

FOR THE STATE       :   Director of Public ProsecutionsOld Standard Bank BuildingCnr Robinson and Main Street

MAFIKENG

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