A 71-year-old South African woman, Susana “Sarie” De Villiers, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for the murders of her three great-grandchildren, who died after the vehicle she was driving plunged down a mountain pass in 2021.
De Villiers received the sentence on Thursday at the Worcester Regional Court in South Africa’s Western Cape province. She had pleaded guilty to all three counts of murder in March 2025.
The victims were Caleb Booysen, eight, Gradwell Booysen, five, and Joshua Booysen, aged 18 months. According to the Brandspur Brand News Desk, the children died after the vehicle went off Bainskloof Pass on November 20, 2021, while De Villiers was expected to take them home following a family visit.
The children had been visiting De Villiers and other relatives at her home in Wellington. Their journey home, however, ended in tragedy after the vehicle reportedly passed through traffic control points established because of roadworks along the mountain pass.
Eyewitness accounts indicated that traffic officers were directing motorists through designated stop-and-go points. De Villiers allegedly drove past the controls and continued through a closed boom gate, prompting officers to stop other vehicles to prevent a possible head-on collision.
When her car failed to appear at a fourth control point, a patrol vehicle was dispatched to investigate. The vehicle was later found off the road after plunging down the pass.
Caleb and Gradwell died at the scene, while Joshua initially survived but later succumbed to his injuries. Bad weather prevented a rescue helicopter from reaching the location, forcing rescuers to carry the toddler up to the road.
The court imposed 20 years’ imprisonment for each murder but ordered the sentences to run concurrently, meaning De Villiers will serve 20 years rather than 60. She was also declared unfit to possess a firearm.
During Thursday’s proceedings, magistrate Clifton Maseti revoked De Villiers’ release on warning and issued a warrant committing her to prison, bringing an end to her period outside custody while the case proceeded.
