Vryheid man jailed 30 years for Valentine’s Week murder of 17-year-old

Asanda Fakude has been sentenced to 30 years’ direct imprisonment after pleading guilty to the killing of his 17-year-old girlfriend in February 2026, the Vryheid Regional Court heard on 22 July 2026.

The killing

The defendant was accused of murdering the teenager at Gegund farm within the Vryheid policing precinct on 16 February 2026. According to police, Fakude had invited his girlfriend to spend Valentine’s Day with him but she did not accept the invitation.

“On Monday, 16 February 2026, driven by anger over her failure to meet him, the accused confronted the victim. The confrontation escalated into a violent assault during which he repeatedly assaulted her until she succumbed to her injuries. He then concealed her lifeless body in the nearby bushes,”

said police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Paul Magwaza.

Arrest and confession

Two days after the killing, on 18 February 2026, Fakude contacted the Paulpietersburg SAPS Detectives Commander and confessed to the crime.

“He was immediately arrested and later conducted a formal pointing-out leading the police to the location where he had hidden the deceased’s body,”

Magwaza said.

Court outcome

Fakude was charged with murder, pleaded guilty in court and was found guilty by the Vryheid Regional Court, which handed down a 30-year direct imprisonment sentence, Magwaza said.

What police reported

The account of events and the details of the arrest and pointing-out were provided by Lieutenant Colonel Paul Magwaza, the police spokesperson cited in the court reporting.